To Stand Among the Stars
by write2breathe
Summary: Kita isn't your average girl in a prestigious high school where nearly all of the Seigaku team attends. In fact, no one knows that she's a girl... yet. What happens when tensai Fuji Shusuke accepts her as a boy then later find out she's not? Fuji S X OC
1. How it all began

**To Stand Among the Stars**

Fuji S. x OC

As I walk through the empty halls my footsteps echo off of the barren walls. It's the day before I finally begin my second year in high school and my first time back in public school. Being homeschooled has its ups and downs, but I want the real experience. Sure, I'm afraid of what everyone will think of me.

I'm going to be an entirely different person. Still, the prospect of actually having friends, doing things that I want to do, and actually starting my life gives me the push I need to go through with this.

I look into the empty classrooms of Kuraka Gakuen, or Kuragaku for short, as I walk by. This academy is one of the best for students to study in and to become professional sport players.

A soft sigh escapes my lips. It's almost comical to think about everything I'm going to get myself into. Though, as long as no one figures out my secret, then it all should be fine.

Testing the light, which is why I'm walking the school in the first place before school, I open my eyes slowly. Wincing slightly, my piercing dark grey eyes adjust to the light.

'Not too bad.' I think. 'As long as the blinds are closed next to where I'm sitting and no one calls me out on it, then I should be fine.'

I close my eyes again, continuing to memorize the school with my eyes closed. As I do so, my mind begins to drift back to the days where I still lived with my parents. When I still was a normal child, loving every aspect of being young. What I missed most about those days though was the fact that I could truly be myself.

That day and those thereafter still invade my thoughts and dreams at night. The day of the "accident" that changed my life forever.

*Back eleven years ago*

I was five years old and my parents thought it was best to give me something to do with all my energy, so they put me in a summer sport camp; a tennis camp, to be exact. The programs were arranged by age, but with the ability to move anyone up or down based on progress. The age ranges were 5-7 years, 8-12 years, and 13-17 years. Both boys and girls were together, so everyone trained at the same pace.

I was so excited to begin my first day. Mom had picked me out a special outfit: a purple tank top and skort to match my hair. Dad thought that it was just a little too girly for his only daughter, so he put a slightly too big white hat on my head, letting it tip slighting down into my vision and tied up my hair to hold it up.

I loved my new racket most of all. The way the new grip tape squeaked in my hands, how the strings were taut, and the way it fit my size perfectly. I remember protesting childishly when Mom wanted to take pictures, but she got them anyway with help from Dad. I had squealed when he picked me upside down and spun me around before Mom scolded him.

They both dropped me off that day at camp. It was a tennis club with many courts, so it was perfect for the camp. I walked nervously around, taking in the scenery, while my parents talked to the lady in charge.

After exchanging a few words they both took me to where my group would be. When we arrived I hugged them both before running to meet my instructor. I remember his name being Sato-sensei. He was young at the time, being probably around 20. He introduced me to the rest of the group, which only consisted of four other boys. All of them were older than me, but it didn't really matter.

Soon, we began our training to become "awesome tennis players," as Sato-sensei liked to say. We worked on stamina (running around the courts), core strength (push-ups and sit-ups), our swings, and accurately hitting the ball. I wasn't the fastest or strongest, but I was the most accurate, only missing two out of twenty tosses.

Two weeks of training later Sato-sensei moved me up to the next group. I waved good-bye to my teammates, but not all of them looked as happy for me as Sato-sensei. I finished out the last two weeks of camp with the older players. There, I learned the basics of the game, serving, and the different spins. It was certainly a lot to take in, so I had some trouble, but with some of the older players watching out for me I learned it all in no time.

At the end of the month of summer camp the instructors held a ceremony to celebrate everyone's progress. Near the end of it I spotted two of my old teammates. Excitedly, I ran over to them in my tennis attire to talk with them. I failed to notice their jealous and angry looks. We ended up walking a little ways away from the party before I realized that something was off.

"You think you're better than us?" One of the twelve-year olds asked.

"You're just trash." The other boy said. He pushed me down into the dirt, getting my outfit scratched and muddy. Tears form in my eyes, but I don't let them out.

"What do you want from me?" I choke out.

They both laughed. "A pathetic girl, that's what you are." The one who pushed me said.

"You'll never be strong enough or good enough to beat us." He continues.

"Ne, shouldn't we teach her a lesson?" The first boy asks the other.

The second one grins. "Great idea!" They both turn and that's when I realize that I was lured here on purpose.

The boys had grabbed their rackets and some balls.

"Take this!" They used their rackets to pound the tennis balls into my small body. I raise my arms trying to fend the balls away.

"I have a better idea." The other boy says. He walks behind me, forces me to stand on my feet, and holds my arms tightly behind my back.

"Hey! Let me go!" I struggle to get free, but he's stronger than I am.

"Use her for target practice." He laughs sadistically. "Make sure that she'll never want to see another tennis ball ever again!"

He keeps laughing as the other boy pelts my face with the rest of the tennis balls. He aims for my eyes specifically; hitting them mercilessly until I only see bright colors and feel the tears, as I presumed from crying so much, run down my cheeks, chin, and drench my clothes.

After the last ball had been hit the boy releases me and shoves me into the fence surrounding one of the courts.

"Hope you learned your lesson." One boy said as he high-fived the other. I can't see who said it, but I hear them leave.

I just sink down to the ground and continue crying. I only hoped that someone would find me. I tried to open my eyes, but the shooting pain that accompanied the bright lights only made me close them just as fast.

It wasn't long before I heard footsteps coming near me. I had stopped crying, but tears still slipped down my face.

"Oh Kami." A voice I recognized as Sato-sensei's said. "Kita." He brushes some hair back from my face.

"Kita, can you hear me?" He asks me. I only nod slightly in recognition.

"Okay, can you look at me?" He takes my hands and removes them from covering my eyes. "Kami." He says softly.

"Can you open your eyes?" I shake my head vigorously no.

"Alright, I'm going to pick you up. We have to go see your parents okay?" He says softly, reaching around to pick me up under my arms. He walks soundlessly towards, what I assumed, was the rest of the party.

No noise could be heard, so I assumed that it had long ended. How long I had sat there against the fence I couldn't fathom.

"Kita!" I heard my mother cry.

"Oh, Kita." Dad said from beside me. I could feel Sato-sensei handing me over to him.

"Nataki-san, I'm deeply worried about Kita-chan. I think we should take her to the hospital." Sato-sensei says urgently. I feel Dad nod and I'm once again in motion.

"You can ride with us, Sato-san."

"Arigato, Nataki-san."

As we're riding in the car to the hospital Dad asks Sato-sensei what happened.

"I don't know," he answers truthfully. "I found her on the ground near some of the farther courts. Tennis balls were all around her and I saw a racket nearby."

"Do you know, Kita-chan?" Dad asks me.

I can't bear to reply. I don't know their names, but I don't want to be weak either by saying who. I just shake my head no again.

Dad sighs and the car stops. Car doors open, so I guess we're here.

Dad picks me up from the back seat and the four of us enter the hospital. I can hear a few gasps from around me and footsteps running towards us.

"Sir, right this way please." A lady says urgently and we all quickly follow after her. After entering a room I'm placed on a bed lying down.

"The doctor will be right in." She says before the door closes with a soft click.

Just as the nurse said the doctor arrived about two minutes later.

"Hi, I'm Shiho-sensei. What happened here?" A kind, womanly voice rings out into the room.

"We believe that it was a tennis accident." Dad says calmly.

"Believe?" The doctor asks unsurely.

"We were all attending a celebratory party for the end of our tennis camp. I think some students lured her out of it and attacked her." Sato-sensei chimed in as Dad's grip on my shoulder grew tighter.

"I see. Is she allergic to anything?"

"No." Mom answers.

"Good. Now, I'm going to need to take her to get cleaned up first, check for any other wounds, run some tests, and then we'll be back with any results. Is that alright?"

Both of my parents must have nodded, because the room was silent.

"Thank you. Kita?" The voice was closer to me, so I turned my head to where I thought she was. "Do you understand?"

I nod my head yes and she picks me up under my arms, just like Sato-sensei had done before. She walked with me for a small distance before she opened a door and set me down.

"Now, I'm going to need your clothes while I get the bath ready. Do you think you can try to help me?" Shiho-sensei asks softly.

"Hai." I manage to squeak out. I start to take off my sneakers and socks while I hear water running. Soon, another set of hands join mine.

"If you like, you can call me Yukari-san."

I smile "Hai, Yukari-san."

She helps me into the warm bath after helping me remove my tennis outfit. My hat came off, but she left my hair in its messy ponytail. Yukari-san begins to wash me, since I can't do it myself.

"You're a brave girl Kita-chan. Do you know what happened?" She asks softly as the water wipes away all the grime.

"Hai." I say shyly, not wanting to lie to the kind doctor.

"Do you want to tell me?"

"Iie." I say softly, embarrassed.

"That's okay. Can you at least tell me where they hurt you?"

"Hai, my eyes."

"What did they use?"

"A tennis racket to hit tennis balls."

"Arigatou, Kita-chan. Now, this may sting a little. I have to wash all the blood and dirt off."

'Blood?' I thought. I didn't know I was bleeding; I only thought I was crying. It scared me a little. 'How bad am I hurt?'

Yukari-san was very gently, so I only flinched every now and then.

"Alright, now I don't see any other wounds except for a few scratches and bruises, so I'll bandage them up now and then we'll do a few painless tests, alright?"

I nod my head to say yes and she lifted me out of the tub to dry me off. The scratches burned a bit when she went over them, but soon she bandaged them up and they felt better.

"Okay, now that you're dressed in a hospital gown we're going to go to those tests."

Just like before, she picked me up and we left the room. Soon, a different door opened and I was sat down in a chair with many things making noises around me.

"Okay, Kita-chan, I need you to try to open your eyes for me."

I was a bit nervous to feel the pain again, but I tried again. I lifted my lids a little bit, but bright light filled them and it burned. Quickly, I shut them tightly.

The doctor frowned, though I couldn't see it. She looks around, before she sees the problem: the window is open, letting in sunlight. She closes the blinds to see if that is truly the problem.

"Alright, try once more Kita, because I think I found the problem." She says softly.

I hesitate a little before I open them slowly. It was still a little painful, but I could keep them open in the medium-lamp light in the room. I looked around for the first time, able to see the scratches on my knees, legs, and arms as well as Yukari-san.

"How do you feel?" She asks, peering into my eyes.

"They hurt."

"In both or one?"

"Both."

"Can you look different directions slowly?"

"Hai."

I do so as she looks at them.

"I'm to shine a light in them this time, so try to not look at it, okay?"

"Hai." You say a bit more nervously.

You do so, flinching a lot when the light hits the sides of your pupils.

She sighs. "Alright. Now, lean forward and try to hold them open through the pain, okay? It'll only be a couple minutes or less."

I lean forward, resting my chin and forehead on this machine while she's on the other end.

"Ready… now."

A bright flashes and I try my hardest to keep my eyes open as the light shines in both eyes.

"Okay, Kita-chan, all done for now. I'll take you back to your parents, but keep your eyes closed, okay?"

"Hai."

She picks me up and we make our way back to the patient room. She sets me down in Mom's lap.

"The good news is that she doesn't have any other injuries. She seems to be able to see, but I need to make sure that she doesn't any other problems. I need your permission to do some extensive tests. It's virtually painless and only comes with one cost."

"What's that?" Dad asks concernedly, not wanting something bad to happen to his precious child.

"She'll need her head shaved."

Dad looks at me, though I can't see it. I don't want to lose my long purple hair, but it seems like I need to.

"Okay."

After the rest of the tests, the results came back and the doctor came in for the last time.

"Alright, so she'll be able to see, BUT," she pauses so the sigh of relief can be halted, "she won't be able to play tennis again. She can't go outside, because sunlight and other bright lights will harm her eyes. She'll need to be trained in how to live with her eyes closed as well."

Silence filled the room.

"It's like she's blind." Dad said unbelievably.

"She can't go outside." My mother said sadly.

"How will she go to school? Do other things like normal kids?" Sato-sensei asked Shiho-sensei.

"She'll need to be home-schooled for awhile and learn how to do things differently and on her own." She replied.

"Thank-you, Shiho-sensei." He shook her hand.

"Hai. Let me know if you need anything." She handed him her card before she left.

"What will we do?" Mom asks Dad.

"I don't know. We both work at the hospital more than we're home. We can't have her in school or in the day-care, so we wouldn't be able to commit to her fully." He replied sadly.

Sato-sensei is thinking deeply. He had grown attached to the young Kita. His studies have just finished and he hadn't gotten into any of the graduate schools he wanted to yet. Maybe…

"What if I could help?" Sato-sensei said suddenly.

"Kirin-san?" Mom said as I turned my head toward his voice.

"I've just finished my studies, and I haven't committed to any graduate schools yet, so I would be able to teach Kita-chan and maybe find a way to help her with tennis." He said quickly.

My parents looked at each other. "We couldn't ask you to do that Kirin-san."

"Iie," Sato-sensei replied, "I'm offering. Kita-chan is very special, I've grown quite attached, and I have no other commitments anyway. Please, would you allow me to help?" He bows low before my parents.

"What do you think, Kita?" Mom asks me.

I smile, turning my head toward them. "I like Sato-sensei!"

They smiled at me before looking back at Sato-sensei.

"It wouldn't be a lot of pay, but we can offer you room and board as well in return for everything you do." My dad offers Sato-sensei.

Sato-sensei looks at him in disbelief. "You don't have to go that far!"

Mom smiles at him. "Kirin-san, you'll be helping us out more than you know. It's the least we can do. Plus, Kita-chan adores you."

Sato-sensei rubs the back of his head in embarrassment. "Saa… so when do I move my things in?"

Dad smiles at him. "Today if you like. I'll help you out."

"Arigatou!"

**And so, Sato Kirin joined my family that day. Since then I've called him aniki or Kirin-nii. Since my parents are the department heads at different hospitals and on call, I never saw them much since the accident. Kirin-nii taught me at home, took me to all my doctor's appointments to check on my eyes, and even began teaching me tennis again. **

**The greatest challenge that we went through was perfecting the closed eyes state. Now, I can see by using the sounds around me. I rarely open my eyes, because I feel like I want to show everyone how strong I've become without my sight. Even so, Kirin-nii had the doctor create special sunglasses for me, so that I can see in the sunlight. **

**A little after I turned twelve years-old, Kirin-nii and his girlfriend Rei-chan got married. After that, Kirin moved out and started living with Rei in his new three bedrooms and two baths home. He still came over every day to take care of me. I even had my own room in their house.**

**However, when I turned sixteen my parents had both gotten a promotion offer. They were to head to Sapporo in Hokkaido (north Japan) from where we lived now in Sakai in Osaka (south Japan). The job was to run a new branch of hospitals together up there, but they were at a loss at what to do with me. I was about to be enrolled into school for the first time as a second year high school student in Tokyo.**

**Finally, Kirin and Rei asked if they could adopt me and be my guardians. After much debate and deciding that it was best, the papers were filled out and put into their hands. So, while Kirin, Rei, and I moved to Tokyo, my parents moved to Sapporo. I do miss them, but Kirin has always been there when they weren't. I love them, but he and Rei-chan understand me in a way that they never would.**

*Back to the present*

I edge around the tennis courts, checking out where I would finally be able to begin my favorite sport. Kirin-nii had friends of his play me, but I've never played anyone my age before. Of course, he and Rei-chan took me to many of the regional and national tournaments, showing me what it was like, but it wasn't the same as actually doing it.

Turning directions, I head to check out the other outdoor areas. I pass by a few doors that say changing rooms on them. There's one for boys and one for girls. I snort a little bit at the last one. The girls aren't very strong in this area. I've seen their tournaments and practice schedule, because Kirin-nii has connections from when he went to school. He's been training me at least three times harder than these high school girls for the past two years.

Finally after seeing the whole school, I turn to walk the fifteen minutes to get home. Knowing that the girl's team sucked made me deeply depressed, because no one would be a challenge. Even the tournaments didn't seem interesting. I desperately wanted to be on the boy's team, so I begged him to do me a small favor: alter my paperwork to make me a boy. Of course, Kirin-nii did not like this one bit. Rei-chan, he, and I argued about it for weeks before I won him over with my logic. He said he knew a friend in the industry to make it official for a small price, which wasn't a problem for us.

Still, it was a brilliant plan. I would be able to study at a great school, make lots of friends, get stronger as a tennis player, and finally start living. So, there were just a few things left to do. I bought a whole new wardrobe to fit my male image, including all the things for my room. Rei-chan even found me a couple shirts that would constrict my chest. You couldn't even tell I had anything there to begin with. I was as flat as Kirin-nii, which is saying something.

Then, Rei-chan took me to get my long, deep purple hair cut. I hadn't cut it since the accident, so it was well past my waist. The hairdresser cut it so that it was shaggy to my chin. The bang that fell from the middle of my forehead and crossed the right side of my face was cut short to look more boy-ish. After looking in the mirror, I could hardly tell that I was even a girl. My face hadn't been too feminine to begin with, so it was a plus for me. I'd just have to be careful not to put my hair up or open my eyes or else I'd be recognized as a girl instantly.

I grinned as I turned my key into the front door of the house I shared with Kirin-nii and Rei-chan, remembering the last thing that I had to do to make everything official. Aniki made me pick the name that I wanted to be called. Although it should've been obvious, I surprised him by saying Kinta.

Sato Kinta.


	2. First day of school

It's 6:18 in the morning on the first day of school and I'm already getting ready for it. It feels a little awkward to be putting on boxers and then the long black school pants. The boxers want to bunch up, but I finally made it lie flat. The length for the pants was good, since I've always been a tall girl, but a relatively average-height male. Still, I have to use the black belt to ensure that the pants will stay up.

'Thank Kami for a pretty flat butt.'

The shirt Rei-chan got me went on first, then the jacket for school. My briefcase for school sits on my bed, waiting for me to get it before I leave.

I stretch and make sure I have everything in my purple Prince tennis bag that I'll need for later.

'Shirt, shorts, towel, water bottle, tennis shoes, extra grip tape, sunglasses, a couple balls, and my dark purple Prince O3 racket: check.'

After I make my bed I walk to the kitchen from my room in the back far right of the house. I see that Rei-chan's already up and making breakfast.

"Ohayo, Kita-chan."

I smile at her cheerfulness. "Morning Rei-chan. How're you feeling today?"

Rei-chan is four months pregnant and lately she's been restless in the morning.

"Oh, the same. Do you want eggs with your pancakes?" I nod my head yes and smile inside. Western breakfasts are my favorite.

"Is aniki still sleeping?" Of course you already know the answer, but it's still nice to make fun of him once in awhile.

She laughs lightly. "Yes. It's been awhile since he had to get up this early, you know?"

I sigh remembering. He'd always get me up early to do a morning run before breakfast and training. After that would be school work, then more training, and whatever else we had planned for the day. Rei-chan works as an accountant in a law firm downtown and Kirin-nii is a computer tech, so he can work anywhere at any time. Lately he's been taking on more jobs to cover for Rei-chan's pregnancy later when she actually has the baby.

"Here you go. You know, Kinta-kun, I think you look very handsome." I look up at her, seeing that she really means it.

"Arigatou. Itadakimasu!" I mutter before I dig into my food.

She laughs lightly before putting her elbows on the table to watch me eat.

"You know, Kinta-**kun**, I was wondering how you were going to conceal your voice?" She asks, a smile playing on her lips.

I cough once before I can swallow the piece of pancake I was chewing.

"I don't talk much as it is and my voice is pretty mellow when I'm neutral. I've been practicing my "man" voice and laugh, but I'm going to try to play off the silent cool type."

This time she really does smile. "You think of everything, don't you? Let's see how long that'll last with _your_ personality."

I shrug before chugging down the orange juice she put before me and standing up.

"I'm going to head out early."

A confused look crosses her face. "Already? It's not even seven and school starts at eight."

I shrug again before replying. "I want to head to the courts to get in a little practice. The first club meeting is today you know."

I walk back to my room, grab the bag and briefcase, and walk out to the front door to put my shoes on.

"Don't tell me you were thinking about ditching me by leaving early were you?" A gruff voice says from behind me.

I smile sheepishly. "Of course not aniki."

He frowns and gives me a slight pout. "I'm going to drive you to your first day of school no matter what!" I inwardly laugh, knowing how serious he is even though he's dead tired.

"Well, you ready then?" I ask him with a small smirk.

"Of course!"

My smile grows even wider. "Let's go!"

Even when we get into his car and out of the driveway he still doesn't realize he's only wearing his shirt, boxers, and socks. Oh well, his fault anyway.

"Are you going to do your morning practice?" He asks, knowing that it won't even be seven by the time he drops me off.

"Of course, it's how I grew up." I say as I watch the world fly by me out the window.

"Should I pick you up as well?"

"Iie, aniki. School ends at three, but I have my club until who knows how long, so I'll just walk."

He nods his head, a smile still evident on his unshaven face.

The car stops. "Don't overdo it and remember to have fun." He tells me before I open the door.

"Arigatou, aniki, for everything." I give him one last smile, before I turn to head for the board that says what classroom I'm in. I find it to see only three classrooms for second years.

'Well, it is a selective school.' I find my name easily under class 2-B. After committing it to memory, I walk towards the changing rooms to the side of the courts to change.

I try the door to find it already unlocked. Seeing as nobody else is here, I quickly take off my school jacket and pants, fold them neatly, and put them under my briefcase to leave in here. I take my loose tennis clothes out, quickly change, and put my sunglasses in my pocket. Grabbing my bag, I take it to the courts to start my practice.

Setting my things down to the far-side court nearest to the changing rooms, I start my stretches. While stretching I notice another figure entering the men's changing room. Shrugging it off I walk off the court and onto the track to begin my regular 75 lap jog. Keeping my breathing even, I train my muscles by jogging evenly, lifting my knees high, kick them up in the back, and doing a few sprints every now in then.

In the middle of my jog though the figure that went into the men's room finishes his stretches and starts to run also. He easily catches up and keeps pace with me for awhile. When I reach my 50th lap I boost my speed by 30% to finish the last 25 laps. I lap him once by the time I finish all 75 laps and return to the court to finish stretching and do my core training. The man also returns to the court and stretches.

I get my racket and a ball from my bag after I take a drink of water. I take a moment to actually look at the man who joined the court with me. He has dark hair, a bandanna, and kind of a scary face.

I begin my warm-up just hitting the board, practicing my stances, swings, and spins. My actual power, speed, and moves are saved for only matches.

"Fushuu…want to play a warm-up game?" A low voice calls from the other side of my court.

I turn to look at him curiously, though inside I'm very excited. It'll be my first practice match against someone my age. I nod at him for a yes.

We walk to the center and shake hands. I hold out my racket and in his low voice he says "smooth". It is smooth, so he says that he'll serve.

He takes up his position and takes a ball out from his pocket. In one fluid motion, he throws the ball up high and smoothly hits it to my side.

'It's a weak serve, probably just to test me. We're both curious to see what each other's level is then.'

I easily hit it back to his side, with a little more power and spin. Soon, a rally ensues for the first point of the game. I win it by hitting a short low slice to the side.

"Love-15." He says before he hits a more powerful serve than before. Again, we rally for a while, adding more power. He wins this point.

"15-15." He calls before a slicing serve is hit.

I smirk lightly. 'Easy.'

My return is a low hit lob, but he's there to meet it. I backhand it to the side and he does the same. However, I do a quick stance change and forehand it to the other corner of the court before he can tell what I was planning.

He looks at me for a moment before taking up his place at the serve. "15-30."

'I knew he was holding something back.' I didn't expect him to go all out, but it's still surprising.

I do another quick stance change right before the ball reaches me, taking him by surprise, and backhand the ball to the other side of the court. The ball is just out of his reach, so I take the point.

"15-40."

His serve this time is much harder. I do a double switch, faking him out before I hit the ball back into his serving spot. He tips the ball with the edge of his racket, but it still goes out.

He stands back up fully and walks to my side of the court. With the ball in his hand he reaches out to put it in mine.

"Good game." He says in his low voice.

"Ah."

"Kaidou Kaoru. Fushuu."

"Sato Kinta."

We both reach to get our water bottles. I chug the rest of mine down, because the match lasted for a long while. Speed and stamina wasn't my problem, but I'm certainly not as powerful as most men. I use my skill and torque to aid in that while I try to build up the muscle.

He looks at his phone from in his tennis bag. "15 minutes until class."

I nod and pack up my things, heading to the changing rooms with him. As I'm walking with silent Kaidou I realize that we'll be changing. Together. So, a little sweat trickles down the back of my neck.

'No problem. We're both guys, who like tennis, and are going to change clothes together. Yeah, no problem, except for that I'M A GIRL!'

However, the door opens and I enter, leaving no chance for escape. Luckily, Kaidou turns around and opens up a locker. I take this chance to quickly throw on my clothes and change out my shoes. When I turn around I give a sigh of relief.

'He's finishing up buttoning his shirt. I'm saved!'

"Are you joining the club after school?" He asks.

"Hai."

He nods back in agreement.

"What class are you in?" I ask as we walk out of the changing room and into the school to change our shoes and put our things away, except for the briefcases.

"1-A." So he's a freshman here…

"2-B."

We walk together until we reach the staircase to the second floor. "It starts at 3:15. Fushuu."

I nod and climb the stairs, walking until I find class 2-B on my right. I walk in only to be glomped on by a hyper redhead.

"Oishi!" he shouts in my ear.

My eyebrows shoot up and as I glance around the room I see that no one else is here yet.

"Excuse me, but I'm not delicious." I say, mistaking "Oishi" for "oishii".

The redhead stops yelling in my ear and leans back to look me in my face.

"Nya! You're not Oishi!"

I sigh. "Hai."

"I'm Kikumaru Eiji! You can call me Eiji-san. Who are you!" He says enthusiastically.

"I'm Sato Kinta. Nice to meet you Eiji-san." I give him a nice wide smile.

"I'm going to call you Kinta-chi! You know, Kinta-chi, you look a lot like Fujiko!" He exclaims, still latched onto my upper body.

"Saa."

"Nya! You sound like him too!" He finally gets off of me only to creep around me in a circle as I walk towards a desk off to the side with no windows.

"Are you really not Fujiko in disguise?"

I look at him incredulously. "Really, Eiji-san?"

"Honto?" He asks, not giving up.

"Hai."

Another boy walks in and this one is about two inches taller than Eiji.

"Eiji, you aren't torturing him, are you?" He says in a chastising way. I realize that Eiji must do this a lot.

"Eh! Oishi!" Eiji shouts as he jumps onto Oishi.

"Maa… Eiji, calm down!" Oishi says, trying to pry Eiji off of him.

"I made a new friend! Come see come see!" Eiji says, literally dragging him all of five feet to get right into my face.

"Hi." I say, giving a slight smile.

"Hello, I'm Oishi Syuichiroh. You can call me Oishi." He extends his hand, which I shake.

"Okay, Oishi-san. I'm Sato Kinta."

"He looks like Fujiko!" Eiji says, bouncing up and down excitedly.

I look at Oishi, silently asking "what in the world is he talking about?"

"Ah," He says, rubbing the back of his head, "Fuji always has his eyes closed and your smile is sort of like his too."

I nod while wondering what this Fuji character looks like if I'm so similar to him.

"Ne, are you going to any clubs after school Kinta-chi?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go to the tennis club."

"Honto!" He shouts, standing on top on the desk in front of mine.

"Eiji! Get down!" Oishi says worriedly, pulling down his friend.

"We're going too!" Eiji says excitedly. Then, he goes off on a tangent talking about who knows what.

"Hey Eiji, did you see where the rest are?" Oishi asks his friend to stop his rant.

"Nya! Fujiko is alone in C while Inui and Taka-san are in A. Momo and Kaidou are luckily in different classrooms this year."

"Did you say Kaidou?" I ask Eiji, wondering if it's the same Kaidou I met this morning.

"Yeah! Do you know him?"

"Mmm. I met him this morning while practicing before school."

"Honto! He's part of our team that went to nationals!"

"Hai, all of us were on the tennis team that went to nationals in middle school. Taka-san doesn't play anymore, because he's training to become the number one sushi chef; although, he is the number one power player in Japan. Echizen is finishing middle school as the captain and will join us next year. Tezuka-buchou went to Germany to become a pro." Oishi adds in.

"Ah."

More people start to come in, so we all take seats and wait to begin class.

Basically, class schedule follows as (for 1 hr each): math, history, literature, English, lunch, science, and study hall. The hour for study hall is for studying and clubs, but the Tennis club always runs much longer.

Basically, each teacher came in, introduced themselves, some notes were taken, and then some social time. I found that I hardly needed to take notes, but I still did to be a good student.

After school, I follow Eiji and Oishi to the changing rooms after getting my bag out. Just like before, I quickly throw on my clothes, though no one was really looking. Walking out with my things, I refilled my bottle and waited on the court for everyone to get here.

"Sato-san. Fushuu."

I turn towards the voice.

"Kaidou-san." I greet him. I also notice that there are others I don't recognize around him.

"Hi, I'm Momo."

"Sadaharu Inui. Data~"

"Hello, I'm Fuji Shusuke."

"Sato Kinta. You all can call me Kinta."

I turn to the one who said his name was Fuji Shusuke. Eiji was right, because Fuji does close his eyes like me and his smile is similar to mine. I don't think that it's his real smile, but just one there.

"Minna!" A man of about forty shouts above everyone. "I'm Notaku Ryoji, your coach. Your captain for this year is Monomi Takai. He'll be handling the try-outs for this year. We only have the best become regulars, no matter what year you are. Gambatte!"

"Alright," the presumed captain Monomi-san says, "We'll start with stamina. Anyone who can't run 50 laps in under 5 minutes is disqualified. Get ready!"

We all line up, waiting for his signal.

"Go!"

'50 laps. Psh, that isn't hard.'

I stay in sync with Kaidou, who's in the middle-front of the pack along with the rest of the regulars. After the first minute, we both increase in speed. The trend continues, until Monomi-buchou says 1 minute to finish the last 3 laps. I boost my speed so that I'm at 65%. Finishing with 20 seconds left, Kaidou follows me, along with Fuji, Eiji, Oishi, Inui, Momo, and eight other people.

"Excellent. Now, to the matches. Only seven of you will become regulars. Once I've finished with the line-up, the first 3 pairs will go first. Break!"

Pairs go as: Hashikana, Jukei vs. Kaidou; Me vs. Sukano, Toga; Fuji vs. Ratanke, Daisuke; Eiji vs. Sumon, Kobe; Oishi vs. Janna, Kohaku; Momo vs. Wakai, Yusuke; Zakura, Yutaka vs. Hanabi, Takana; and Inui vs. Aikone, Musahara.

I end up going against Sukano last, so the winners are: Kaidou, Fuji, Eiji, Oishi, Momo, Inui, and Zakura.

So, then the pairs go as: Kaidou vs. Momo; Fuji vs. Zakura; Eiji vs. Oishi; Me vs. Inui.

The match wasn't too bad, since Inui didn't have any data on my tennis skills and game play. As he played with his data tennis, I kept increasing my speed and skill levels. Inui is definitely a lot stronger than me, but I out play him in tactics. Like Kaidou's warm up match this morning, I revealed my flash stance to Inui, buying me time and confusing him. To counteract his power, I used 60% of my actual speed and make a mental note to add more weights to my training. Inui was happy to get data on me, although he was depressed that it wasn't accurate. The game ended 6-3.

Winners: Kaidou, Fuji, Eiji, and me.

Next match: Kaidou vs. Fuji and Eiji vs. me.

Eiji's match against me proved to be a lot of fun. His acrobatic style forced me to use my split step and flash stance. Because his speed surpasses mine, his doppelgangers proved to be a challenge. I easily figured out how to counter it with using a curved speed slice, which is a modified technique of another actual skill. The game ended 6-4.

Winners: Fuji and me.

So, I won the needed amount and so did Fuji. Kaidou and Eiji play one more match and also earn their spots. Oishi, Inui, Momo, and Zakura battle it out to take the last two spots on the regular team.

Winners: Oishi and Zakura.

Inui is the alternative and coordinate the group's training regimen with the captain.

"I'll need your jacket sizes by the end of today. Dismissed!"

I breathe in deeply, feeling the weight of the day lift from my shoulders. To be a regular on the tennis team is one of my goals and now I've achieved it.

Smiling happily, I drink the last bit of water from my bottle and proceed to put my things away.

"Nice game." A hand clasps my shoulder. I turn around to meet the closed-eyed, ever-smiling tensai, Fuji Shusuke.

"Ah. Arigatou, Fuji-san."

I pick up my bag and throw the towel from inside around my shoulders before we begin to walk back to the locker room.

"Have you ever played in a tournament before, Sato-san?"

"Kinta-kun," I correct him, feeling more familiar with my nickname. "Iie. I was homeschooled. This is my first time playing against others my age and being on a team."

Fuji's expression changes just slightly from smiling to shock before widening his smile again.

"Saa… then we'll be sure to have a lot of fun together Kinta-kun."

"Mmm."

After I walk into the clubhouse to change, a certain data man comes out from the bushes where he was tracking me, scribbling furiously in his famous book, muttering "data".

As usual, I'm the first one done changing. I try to avoid gazing at the other boys around me and keep the heat that's trying to creep up to my face down.

"Sato-san."

I sigh lightly, before turning to Oishi behind me. "Kinta-kun please, Oishi-san."

He nods once before continuing. "As a regular, you have your own locker now. This way." He says kindly, leading me to where the larger lockers are at the side of the locker room.

"6." He says and hands me the combination.

"Arigatou, Oishi-san."

He nods once again before turning to Kaidou and Momo to lecture them about fighting in the locker room. I put the paper in my tennis bag, grab my briefcase, and head out of the locker rooms to head home. I take my black phone out of the side pocket of my tennis bag to check the time.

'5:36 p.m. Kirin-nii is going to want to take a run probably before dinner.'

I sigh and smile lightly at the thought of me opening the door and him sitting on the arm of the couch waiting for me to get home. This is the first time we haven't done anything tennis related all day, aside from the times when I was sick.

"Kinta-san!" A voice calls from behind me. I've been barely walking for five minutes when I see Fuji running up to me from behind.

"Hai, Fuji-san?" I look at the closed-eyed tensai, noting how light brown hair falls just to his shoulders.

"You forgot to tell buchou your jacket size." He says with his usual smile as we begin walking again.

I smack my forehead. "I totally forgot! I wonder how mad he'll be tomorrow."

He chuckles a little. "No worries, I told him for you." I look at him curiously, wondering how he would've figured out my size. I don't even know my size.

"I figured since you're a little shorter and thinner than me that you'd also be a medium." I think about it and decide that he's probably right.

"Arigatou, Fuji-san." I still look at him curiously. He has this smile that says there's still something he hasn't told me yet.

"Sure, but don't think I do this all the time. I seriously thought about ordering you an extra-large to make you suffer, but I've given you a pass this time, because you don't know me."

I stare at him. "Ah."

"Also," He turns to me; his smile has now turned into a sadistic grin. "You now owe me one."

I nearly gulp, but hold it in. "Hai, no problem Fuji-san. Thanks again."

His grin falters slightly, but I don't notice. He's wondering if I'm just being ignorant or if I'm just plain stupid. He decides to find out right now.

"No problem. Also, I should advise you that Inui's drinks are quite delicious."

"Inui's drinks?" I ask, wondering what it has to do with tennis.

"Hai. Inui creates these juices that are specially made for the team to boost nutrition and improve training. They're often offered as rewards in training."

"Ah. What do they taste like?"

"Delicious. I try to drink every one that I can. Some of the players don't like them, but that's just because they don't appreciate his hard work."

"Oh. That's good to know Fuji-san."

"Mmm. Where do you live, Kinta-san?"

Now that Fuji said something, I realize that we've been walking the same way for the past few minutes.

"The next street on the left, a few houses down."

"Saa… I live a few more blocks down."

"Well, ja-ne, Fuji-san."

"Ja-ne!" He says with a wave. Once Fuji's down another block he realizes he forgot to tell me that there are morning practices and afternoon practices tomorrow.

'Oh well.' He thinks, walking home with his normal smile.


	3. Of stalkers and romance

As soon as I put the key in the door and barely get it open, Kirin-nii swings it open, wraps his arms around me, and picks me up. Yep, he's really attached.

"Kita-chan! Oh, Kita I've missed you! Do you know _bored_ I've been?"

"Excuse me, _dear_?" Rei-chan says from behind him, holding a wooden spoon.

"Ah…" He turns to her to rectify what he just said. "I meant that I was…n't as active as I usually am, so I wanted to do something with her. Not that _you're_ boring dear." He says, walking over to her slowly as she eyes him. He carefully hugs her and when she lets out a sigh and gives in, he finally breathes.

'Just made that one, Kirin-nii.' I think, knowing that Rei-chan wouldn't really beat him with a spoon, but he's never been one to test that theory under Rei-chan's intense glare.

"How was school?" She asks as I take off my shoes and put on house shoes.

"It was pretty boring. I have some friends and there are many interesting people in the tennis club. Oh, and I made the regulars."

I should've waited until later to say something about it, because Kirin-chan is wound up right now.

"WHAT! My Kita-chan made the team! How many did you beat? Was it hard? Did you get beat? Are you hurt? Did you have to use your sunglasses? Were any of those boys mean to you? How about-"

"KIRIN!" Rei-chan shouts, pulling his ear effectively cutting his rant short. She leads him to the couch to sit him down roughly. I follow and sit on the couch opposite of them.

"I beat 3 of them. It wasn't that bad. The first one I killed 6-0. The other two were harder, beating them 6-3 and 6-4. No, aniki, I didn't get hurt and I didn't have to use my specks. All of the guys were pretty nice too."

"Oh, tell me about some!" Rei-chan says excitedly, probably because I'm finally interacting with guys my age.

"Well there's Eiji-san who is extremely hyper and an acrobatic player. Oishi-san is very caring and he likes to use moon-volley. Inui-san is a data tennis player and kind of creepy. Fuji-san is a sadistic tensai and has eyes closed all of the time too. Momo-san is a power player and likes to use smashes. Kaidou-san likes to use his snake moves and always says 'fushuu' like a snake."

"That's all?" Rei-chan asks when I pause.

"Oh! No, those are just all in my year, except Momo and Kaidou who are first-years. There's a second year named Taka-san, but he doesn't play tennis anymore in order to become an awesome sushi chef. He's the best power-player in all of Japan. There are two third years: Monomi-buchou and Zakura-san. According to Eiji-san, who likes to gossip, they're the two strongest players from last year."

"Ah. I knew my little Kita-chan would do well! First day and you're already kicking butts and taking names! I'm so proud!" I swear that if Rei-chan hadn't been holding his ear that Kirin-nii would've attacked me.

Trying to be sneaky and get out of a run, I make my way to my room as he's spouting more nonsense.

"Kita," He says with his voice stopping me dead. "Don't think you're getting away that easily. Get dressed for a run before dinner! We have to pick up some groceries anyway."

I nearly groan, but stop short because I know that he'll add another mile if I do.

"Hai, aniki. Five minutes." Indeed it only takes me, a girl, five minutes to get changed and be ready to go. Regardless if all I need to do is use the bathroom, throw on different shorts, a sports shirt, and my tennis shoes.

"Ready aniki."

"Fast." He says, smirking.

I roll my eyes. "Let's get going."

A couple of days ago, Kirin-nii and I made our running route. We'd run for two miles around this park nearby, go up and run for a mile near some small shops, and finish the last mile running home. Of course, I get this mile off because I trained this morning and this afternoon. Yay me.

As we finish our run by the park I see a figure running toward us. As he comes closer I see that it's Kaidou-san.

"Hold up, aniki." I tell him, slowing down to a jog to say hi to Kaidou.

"Good evening Kaidou-san."

"Fushuu."

"Out for a run before dinner too?"

"Fushuu."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon for practice."

I turn to jog up to where Kirin-nii is. As Kaidou is running he realizes something odd.

'Regulars practice tomorrow morning and afternoon.' Though, when he turns around to tell me, I'm already far away. Thinking that I'd do the same for him, he runs to catch up to me and the other guy.

Kirin-nii and I run down through the small shops and see some that are about to close. Near the end is the grocery store where we need to pick up the food for tonight.

As Kaidou is running through the shops he spots a familiar red-head and fukubuchou.

"Ah, Kaidou-kun, what are you doing running here?" Oishi asks, worried for the people who are tired and not paying attention to where they're walking. They could possibly injure Kaidou or him them.

"Fushuu. Kinta-san doesn't know that there's practice for regulars tomorrow morning."

"Nya!" Eiji says, holding onto the bag with his new chocolate-strawberry flavored toothpaste in it. "We have to go find and tell him!"

"Fushuu. He was running with someone down this way."

"Maybe they went into a store. Let's go check it out!" Eiji says excitedly, dragging Oishi by the arm.

"O-Oi! Eiji, be careful! Slow down!" The mother-hen says worriedly.

"Fushuu," says Kaidou, following his senpais.

The small group duck in and out of stores with no luck. Finally Eiji calls Ryoma, Momo, Taka-san, Fuji, and Inui.

"What'd they say?" Oishi asks after Eiji finishes talking with Inui.

"Ryoma's busy, Momo is eating dinner, Taka-san is working, Fujiko says he's in a store just before the grocery store, and Inui is-"

"Here. Iie…data." He says, popping out from a bush behind Eiji.

"NYA!" Eiji shouts, jumping and clinging onto Oishi like a cat.

"Eiji!" Oishi gasps under his weight. "You're…heavy…"

Eiji blinks. "Oh, sorry Oishi." He climbs down after finally having calmed down.

Oishi rubs the back of his head. "Shouldn't you be used to this by now?"

"Ehh…"

"Hey minna!" Fuji greets.

"Fujiko!" Eiji shouts and tries to jump on Fuji, but Oishi is prepared this time and holds him by the shirt back.

"Saa… I just saw Kinta-san go into the grocery store."

"Iie data." Inui says before walking quickly that way. Everyone rushes after him, eager to see what's going to happen.

"So what do we need to get?" I ask Kirin-nii since he has the grocery list.

"Uh… hold on." He digs through his pockets, but can't find the list. "Hehehe…well…"

"You left it at home, didn't you?" I say with an annoyed face.

He starts to make excuses, so instead of listening I text Rei-chan to text me the list.

"Okay, I've got the list."

Kirin just looks at you dumbly before you show him your phone. He sweat drops, thinking 'Am I really getting old?'

Both of us grab a basket and start shopping for the items on the list.

"Saa… what do you think they're both doing here?" Fuji asks.

"97% probability of shopping for dinner." Inui replies.

"Is that his dad?" Eiji asks Inui.

"Less than 5% chance."

"Does Kinta-san not like tomatoes?" Oishi observes out loud as he watches the boy make a face when the older male holds one out to him teasingly.

"Iie…data."

"So, his brother then?" Eiji asks.

"Less than 30% probability."

Eiji pouts and all of them duck behind an aisle, blocking them from my view. "Then what's he doing with Kinta-chi?"

"Maybe they're on a date." Fuji says smiling widely.

"DATE!" The others yell, causing me to look in their direction. However, Kirin calls me over, so I dismiss it. Though I could swear I saw a flash of red.

"There's…a strong possibility of that. Need more data." The data-master says, before ducking out of sight to go collect more.

"Is it possible?" Oishi asks worriedly. "He doesn't seem like the type. I mean you like girls, don't you Fuji?"

"Saa…" Replies Fuji, not really answering the question.

Kaidou stares warily at the tensai and takes a small step back, effectively knocking a display over. All of them freeze for a moment before quickly dispersing. Fuji ducks behind the banana stand which is where Inui is lurking.

"Fuji there's an 87% probability that you have your camera with you. Would you take surveillance?"

"Sure." Grinning wickedly, Fuji takes it out of his backpack that he has with him and starts to snap shots.

"Need to get closer to hear." Says Inui, inching on the floor like a worm. Fuji also captures a picture of this. 'Great blackmail.'

"Hey, Kirin? Would you hold this bag of rice so I can get to the larger one underneath?" I ask him politely, wanting extra rice for dinner. He shrugs, but instead of taking my one pound bag he just picks up the 1.5 pound bag.

"Hoi! Did you see that?" Eiji exclaims pointing at Kirin picking up the heavier bag.

"Ah. Maybe they are together." Oishi considers, looking at the black-haired man that's spiked up with gel and about half a foot taller than Kinta.

"Fushuu." Kaidou says, still doubtful.

"You're right, we should get closer." Oishi agrees.

I move to the next aisle and see a special pack of spicy noodles on the very top shelf. Not wanting to knock the whole shelf over, I try to stretch up can reach. I can almost touch it when another body comes behind me and easily grabs the bag. I turn to see Kirin-nii putting it in my basket.

"Ah, arigatou." I say with a slight blush. Even after all these years of living with him, I still get flustered by being too close to him sometimes when he's acting normal. He is a handsome guy. To be honest, I had a little crush on him when I was younger, but I grew out of it as I got older and Rei-can came into the picture.

"Iie… data." Inui says scribbling furiously in his notebook. The sound of a camera shutter could be also heard if you listened closely.

"Nya! I told you Oishi! That proves it!" Eiji grabs onto Oishi.

"Maybe your right, or maybe he was just too close." Reasons Oishi.

"Mmm…" Eiji considers it, but asks Kaidou instead.

Kaidou blinks, not knowing what to believe.

"Ah! They're moving!"

The two groups collide and move as a unit again.

I stare at the candy next to the cash register, but don't want to ask, because Kirin-nii would make me work it off somehow or use it for blackmail later.

"Do you want some?" He asks me.

"Iie!" I deny adamantly, turning my head to keep him from seeing my face. He can always tell when I'm lying.

"I'll buy it for you if you want. I know that your favorite is-"

"Iie! I'm fine."

He shrugs, not wanting to really get into it.

"Iie…data. 89% probability that they're a couple."

"Fujiko! Didn't you hear say that he knows his favorite candy!"

"Saa… they must be very intimate."

"Intimate!" Oishi exclaims before he starts worrying. "I wonder how far they've gotten? He looks way too old for him anyhow. I wonder if we should intervene. Do his parents know? Can-"

"Oishi! They're moving!"

"Fushuu."

The group follows the "couple" out of the store.

"Ne, Fuji, don't you live here somewhere?" Eiji asks.

"Hai." The tensai's smile never wavers.

When the group walks into the driveway of a house the group jumps into a bush opposite of the house.

"Well, come in Kinta." Kirin says, slightly aware to the presence of others near his house.

"Fuji! He invited Kinta-san in!" Oishi exclaims.

"Ah… maybe they're making dinner together." Supplies Fuji.

"Dinner? Like a date! And in his house! One thing could lead to another and-" Oishi exclaims, but is cut off by Eiji.

"Someone needs to stop him!"

"Fushuu." Agrees Kaidou.

"Don't you have something to tell Kinta-san? You go Kaidou." Fuji decides, pushing him out of bush.

Just before I enter the house I hear some rustling and see Kaidou standing there.

"Kaidou-san?" I call.

"F-fushuuu."

"What's up?" I ask, still carrying the bags in my arms.

"Eh, the regulars have practice every other morning in addition to afternoon practices. So, fushuu… practice starts at seven."

"Eh? Oh, arigatou Kaidou-kun."

"Are you coming Kinta-kun?" Kirin says from inside.

"One second!" I yell back.

Kaidou's phone vibrates from a text. _Do something!_ _–Eiji_

"Well, I have to go-"

"Would you like to go eat?" Kaidou asks, his cheeks beginning to blush.

I blink at what he asked. 'Eat? Like a date? Oh wait… I'm a guy. He must mean for dinner.'

"I'm having dinner with Kirin-san tonight, so maybe another time."

"A-ah."

"But, thanks Kaidou. I owe you one!" I say, shifting my bags so I can give a small wave before I walk in the door.

Kaidou walks away and back to the others with the remnants of his blush.

"Good try Kaidou." Oishi says apologetically.

"Saa… I didn't know you swung that way Kaidou." Fuji teases, a sadistic smirk placed on his lips.

"FUSHUU! No way senpai!" Kaidou yells angrily. Still, his other senpai had said he would go out with him another time. 'Oh Kami.'

"Iie… Lots of data." Inui mutters, before disappearing for the night.

"Well, come on Eiji. It's dinner time." Oishi says as he leads his doubles partner away.

"Hoi Hoi! Bye-bye!"

"Saa… I'll be going as well. Good luck on your date Kaidou!" Fuji teases again, before walking towards his house. Now he's thinking if that's really Kinta's house or that guy's. Hmm… much to be considered.

"Fushuu." Kaidou mutters, still mad at the teasing before finishing his run before dinner.

Once Kirin and I put the groceries away and helped Rei-chan prepare everything, I go down the hall to my room to grab some clothes. A nice is going to be very nice after a long day. So, I take them and walk the two feet from my door to the bathroom across from it. After ten minutes of showering and making sure my hair's dry, I change into my lounge pants and a shirt.

Walking out to the kitchen, I see that the food has just finished cooking.

"Ramen." I say with a smile.

"Hai, your favorite ne?" Rei-chan says.

"Mmm."

"Why don't I get my favorite?" Kirin-nii whines.

"Aniki, you just had duck yesterday!"

He pouts and mutters something about being older and working harder than me. I pinch him to let him know that I heard. He doesn't have time to respond before he devours the bowl put in front of him.

I look to Rei-chan. "I wonder how you put up with him."

"The same way you do." We both laugh at that before we eat too.

After I finish my meal and clean the dishes, I excuse myself to do homework.

"Oh, Kita-chan!" Rei-chan calls me. "I'll pack you a bento tomorrow for lunch."

"Ah, arigatou Rei." I smile at her before turning back.

Walking into my room I flip on the light and look at my messy room. Well, it's not really, because I know where everything is. Still, I throw my textbooks under my desk and discard my dirty clothes in the basket that's overflowing. I think about how I really need to do laundry, but I'm kind of lazy.

Flopping on my black bed, I look up at the posters covering my walls and ceiling. All my favorite movies, books, shows, and actors covered them. I open my eyes to make sure that they get their daily 3 hours of use. Even though I have perfect sight and choose to keep them closed for convenience, the doctor said that I still have to actually use them for at least 2 hours a day. So, to comply, I use them for homework, reading, and television.

I take out my notebook where I write all my notes and homework. I browse over what's due and see that everything will take ten minutes each, max, because I know it all already. Convenience of being homeschooled, eh? Well, everything will be easy except for science. Kami, I hate science. Who really cares about how plants work, what exactly our body does, and crap unless you're going into the medical field?

Still, I quickly finish everything within an hour and pause afterwards to look at the clock. It blinks 7:56 p.m. which means it is four minutes until criminal minds. Ever since Rei-chan went to America she's been obsessed with it, effectively corrupting me. Seriously though, I just like to point out in the show where I'd do something different so I wouldn't get caught. I really wish that someone wouldn't get caught more often.

I take out my laptop and bring the show up on the screen. As I wait for it to begin, the pillows behind me are rearranged to make it so that it's like a throne. It's way more comfortable than any chair.

After the culprit is caught I turn the website off. I'm about to shut down the laptop when I get an IM. It's a little strange, because I don't know who it is. All my friends are those of Kirin and Rei-chan.

**CactiTensai: Evening**

_**TennisGuru: Evening. Who are you?**_

**CactiTensai: ahh wouldn't you like to know?**

_**TennisGuru: Well, yeah. I would.**_

**CactiTensai: Too bad.**

_**TennisGuru: Lol. Okay, so what do you want?**_

**CactiTensai: I know your secret.**

I freeze. How could this person know? It's only been the first day!

_**TennisGuru: And what is it?**_

**CactiTensai: *smile* I saw today.**

A shiver runs down my spine.

_**TennisGuru: Oh?**_

**CactiTensai: And I have proof.**

It was then that I turned off my computer. It's just too creepy. I'm super careful and yet this person knows that I'm actually a girl? Dammit. I figured that I would have a lot more time than this or even until graduation. Whoever this person is will pay.

Fuji smiles as the screen name disappears from his chat box. It took him almost a half hour to find the right Kinta and screen name. Then, Fuji shivers unconsciously. He doesn't know what it means, but he feels as if someone has just planned revenge against him.

He takes one last look at the pictures of Kinta and the older man. His favorite is when Kinta can't reach the top shelf, so the man gets the item for him, but Kinta looks as if he's embarrassed. 'Saa… let the games begin, Kinta-kun.'


	4. Playing with the tensai

My cell phone alarm goes off at six and I jump a little at the sound. Rolling over, I reach to grab it from off of my desk and silence it. Stretching a bit before sitting up I think about today's morning practice. It's probably the best idea to wear my training clothes to school and then change afterwards. I set out my clothes on the bed to wear after my shower and fold the black school clothes neatly before packing them in my bag.

After turning the shower on and making sure it's warm, I de-clothe and step in. The cascading water feels nice against my skin and lightly massages my muscles. Another downside to being a guy is having to use different shampoos and conditioners. Sighing I wash my hair quickly, letting the water accumulate.

Figuring I've spent enough time in the water, I turn off the knobs and wrap a white towel around myself. Walking out into the cool air I quickly put on the white tight shirt, blue tennis shirt, black boxers, and white knee-length tennis shorts. My hair quickly dries, so I run a brush through it to at least make it look nice. The piece hanging in my face, curving to the right und my eye is shorter than the rest of my shaggy hair, but it won't move from that spot.

Grabbing my things, I head down to get breakfast; which is a traditional Japanese breakfast today. Smiling lightly at the ever-wakeful Rei, I take a seat at the counter while she places the food before me.

"Aniki work late last night?" I ask, observing that he hasn't arrived yet again.

"Not really." She says with that hidden smile I've gotten from her.

"What exactly does that entail?" I say curiously before sticking in another fork full of food.

"Mostly asking him to run to the store and make several times to get me random things that I was craving, playing some video games, and other things of that sort."

I raise an eyebrow at her antics, knowing that Kirin-nii would've been too tired to think properly. She was just being evil to him, because she could've just texted him while he was there instead of making him come all the way back every time.

"Oh, come on, Kita-chan, you know that you'd do the same." She chastises me.

Thinking about it seriously I decided that indeed, I would do the same.

"What are your plans for the day?"

"Well, I have to work from 9-4 today at the firm, but other than that I'll just push your nii-san around."

Nodding, I explain my day. "Tennis practice early, school, lunch, more school, afternoon practice, practice with Kirin-nii, dinner, and then homework."

"When do you have time for fun?" She accuses me with a scowl.

"After homework of course."

She deadpans. I guess that it wasn't what she meant.

"You need to stop practicing so much and go have fun! You're young,-"

I stop listening after that, knowing that she's going to go on for about another hour. Putting my dishes in the sink, I tie up my sneakers, and open the door.

"See you later Rei-chan!" I call quietly to her before exiting, grabbing the bento on the way out.

Walking down the street I turn and see a figure behind me. The figure waves, so I wait for the person to get closer.

"Ohayo Kinta-san!" Fuji greets, dressed in his training clothes as well.

"Ohayo Fuji-san." I greet back politely, continuing to walk to school.

"I see that you found out that we have morning practice today."

"Hai. Kaidou-san tracked me down and told me. Is it just regulars?" I ask curiously.

"Most of the time. Buchou lets others, like previous regulars or national-level players, train with us too."

"Ah. That's nice."

"Saa… How did you like the ranking matches yesterday?"

I blink. "Yesterday… they were alright. I kind of expected more, but it's only the second day." This is true, because nothing really felt like a challenge.

"Really? Were you actually serious?"

"Not really." I stick my hands in my pockets, keeping a grip on my sunglasses. "I feel as if it's my fault though. Maybe if I had pushed them harder or displayed more skills it would have actually been worth something to me."

Fuji looks curiously at the boy beside him. 'He didn't really try at the ranking matches, which is impressive. I wonder how far I can push him.' A sly smile crosses the tensai's face.

"Nya! Fujiko! Kinta-chi!"

We stop and look over to see Eiji and Oishi heading to the gates as well from our right.

"Ohayo." Fuji and I say together, looking curiously at each other afterwards.

"Hoi Hoi! Careful or you'll become like Oishi and me!"

"Wouldn't that be horrible?" Fuji says with his eerie smile on.

"Well of course- Nya! Fujiko! What do you mean? How mean!" Eiji whines.

"Maa maa… I'm just saying that you're both special and we couldn't possibly compare." Fuji says, calming the hyper redhead down.

"That's right!" Eiji says, grabbing onto Oishi.

"'Cause we're inseparable!" Oishi finishes, both of them winking and pointing their fingers like a gun at us.

"Hai Hai." I say, smiling amusedly at them both, before walking to the locker room.

After putting my school things away, I sit my bag on the ground near the fence with everyone else's. I see Kaidou warming up, so I go to join him.

"Morning."

"Fushuu." He replies, hiding his head so I can't see his slight blush.

As we continue stretching Oishi joins us, so I ask him, "When are the regular practices and afternoon practices?" I'm afraid someone may forget to tell me the schedule correctly, but I know that Oishi wouldn't.

"Regular practices alternate mornings every week. This week it's Tuesday and Thursday and next week it's Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then the cycle repeats. The afternoon practices are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. We also have Saturday practices bi-weekly, starting next week." I nod and thank him before standing up to join him and Kaidou in some warm-up laps.

"Alright, everyone line up!" Monomi-buchou says. His voice has the tone that yells 'Fuck with me and die' but his personality yells 'Yeah, I'm chill'. He's kind of a bizarre combination of Eiji and Tezuka, or so I've been told.

"I have some bad news and good news." He begins.

"Hoi Hoi! Bad news first!" Eiji yells out making Oishi sit on him to calm him down.

Buchou smirks. "Zakura-san had a death in the family last night, so he's to another school in the area which his parents are moving to."

A moment of silence is held for Zakura and his family before buchou gets to the good news. "So, in addition to being manager, Inui-san is being promoted to regular and Momo will be the alternative.

A series of cheers and "yattas!" went around before everyone became serious and pumped.

"Finally, Inui has created a new training menu for each of you and starting today you all will be paired up with a teammate for the rest of the year."

If jaws could literally drop to the ground, they would. However, a few of us *ahem* Fuji, Inui, buchou, and I *ahem* kept ourselves composed.

"The pairs are:

Monomi-Momo

Fuji- Me

Oishi-Eiji

Inui-Kaidou

Got it?"

"Hai, buchou!"

"How you and your partner does reflects your overall well-being. If your partner suffers, you suffer. If your partner needs a drink, you drink. I want you to spend every moment you can with your partner and NO EXCUSES! Now, 60 laps, 50 core sets, and start a practice match. Go!"

Not even bothering to reply, we all start the laps. I look over at Fuji, curious as to what's going on in his sadistic mind. Then again, I may not want to know. Instead, I ask him how much speed he wants to put into the warm-ups.

He shrugs. "How about 75% of your pace?"

I nod and gear up my speed from 30% to 75%. Fuji sprints after me thinking 'This is 75%? Fast.' Needless to say that Fuji could keep up with me without a hitch, but others weren't so lucky with their partners. Eiji kept tripping every now and then and Momo complained about his stomach ache.

After about ten minutes we were done and into our core training.

"What's exactly involved in this?" I ask, waiting to know where to begin.

"Push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, lunges, and squats."

I grimace, knowing that strength is not my specialty, but my deepest weakness. "Kay."

By the time I had finished my 50 push-ups, Fuji was at the end of his 50 sit-ups.

"Kami, I suck at this." I mutter.

Fuji chuckles. "Everyone has a weakness." I glare back at him.

Eventually I get to the jumping jacks and everything goes smoother and faster. Fuji waits only a couple minutes before I finish. We both get a quick drink of water before starting our match.

"Hey Fuji?"

"Mmm?"

"Will Inui be able to collect data on me while we're playing the match?"

Fuji squints his eyes and thinks. "Saa… I don't believe so, since he's dealing with his own things and his partner."

I nod. "Good, because I want to play seriously with you."

He smiles slyly. "That's just what I was intending."

"Oh?"

"Hai. And you should be ready."

I smirk at him before walking to the middle to shake hands and call. Fuji takes this opportunity to notice that Kinta's hands are very long and feminine.

"Smooth. I'll serve first."

"Perfect." I reply.

Fuji begins, using a medium-speed serve. I watch it carefully and wait until it almost goes past before doing a flash stance and backhand it to the other side of his court. He dashes over there to backhand it to my left. However, I'm already there anticipating it. Smirking at my foreseen point, I hit the yellow ball with a forehand this time to the far corner.

"Love-15." Fuji says, grinning at the chance to be challenged. 'And to challenge you.'

Another serve, but at a faster speed this time. I wait again, about to do flash stance and see Fuji already moving. I quickly perform a double flash stance, confusing him and hitting the ball back into the corner where he once was. Unable to stop, Fuji turns and smirks at me.

"No warm-up?"

"This is the warm-up."

"Saa… I see. Love-30."

Again, a fast overhand serve. This time I hit the ball without a flash stance to his left of the court. Already there to return it, he hits the ball to my left. I hit it back with a sharp backhand to the front of the court, near the net. He backs up, ready to smash it. Or, so I think. Fuji performs his Tsubame Gaeshi, effectively returning the ball to my side. I wait for it to bounce, but instead it stays near to the ground, spinning, and flies toward the back of my court.

"Sugei." I exclaim, excited to see something other than what regular players use. "I'm going to break that before your game ends." My mouth forms into a smirk and so does his.

"15-30."

The same exact thing happens, just as we want it to. Again, I miss the ball. Pausing to think about how to seal his move, I replay it in my head. 'Since the ball doesn't bounce, I'll have to hit it before it touches the ground.'

"30-30."

The same thing happens again, but this time I go to hit the ball before it touches. I make it, but can't put enough power into it.

"Next time," I assure him. "It's sealed."

His smirk widens. "40-30."

This time I'm able to hit the ball with enough power to make it to the far side of his court. He hits the ball back and I utilize my split-step to reach the other side of my court. Hitting a deep slice close to the net, I tie up the score.

"I told you so." I say teasingly, while flashing him a grin.

"Well, you got my weak one. Want to try out my Hoo Gaeshi?"

I nearly laugh, because I figured out another way to seal his counter: hitting a ball with no spin. However, he could still be able to pull it off, so I'll hold on to it for later.

I hop a little faster, getting ready for his serve. "Bring it."

Fuji smiles sadistically before hitting a strong serve, knowing that there's a chance that I wouldn't be able to return it. Still, I grit my teeth and send it back, flying towards the opposite side of the court. Instead, he hits a nice high lob. I perform the double-jump, where I double the amount of force applied to my legs and jump higher than usual. All to do an extreme smash for Fuji's Hoo Gaeshi. Fuji prepares for the ball just as I land. Barely having any time to process what's happening, I use the one-step maneuver to get from the baseline to the net. I barely make it there with my speed and forehand it about four feet to Fuji's left. He easily hits the ball to the back corner of my court, scoring his point.

"1 game to 0. Your serve."

I look at him and smile. "Told you."

"Love all."

I decide to test out my new serve: Dice serve. It's my most recent move and it's yet to be tested. I take the ball in my hand and spin it vertically upwards with a lot of force. With a side swing, I hit the ball and watch Fuji carefully. There are six sides to a dice and six ways the ball can be returned, as determined by the side Fuji hits. I know what side the ball will go before Fuji can finish his swing.

Fuji watches the oddly rotating ball, thinking about how similar it is to his knuckle serve. He hits the ball and watches as it flies to the right, so he heads the opposite way. Instead, the ball swerves and heads toward the net. Alert to see the other boy there, Fuji tries to stop and move to the back right. However, he's too slow, because the speeding ball has already hit the boy's racket.

"Almost, Fuji." I say while hitting the ball back to where the tensai was just standing.

"What was that?" Fuji asks, eyes now open.

I take in the sharp gaze of Fuji's azure eyes. 'Serious now, are we?'

"My new serve: Dice serve."

Fuji's eyes stay open, determined to find out the secret behind this move. Seeing as it may get interesting, I take out my sunglasses and put them on, so I can sharpen my eyesight as well.

"Sunglasses?" He asks. I shrug in reply and state the score.

"15-Love."

Again, I hit my Dice serve. I take two steps forward, waiting impatiently on the balls of my feet to slam the return he gives me.

Fuji's sharp eyes watch the ball as it comes to his racket. After he hits it, he watches as it flies straight.

'Definitely straight this time, there's no way it can-'

Oh, but the ball dips downward to the right at the last moment, where Kinta is again.

I see the ball heading straight, but with the angles on the ball it'll turn left towards me and I'll smash it to the other side of Fuji's court, before he'll be able to move.

Score. "30-Love."

Unfortunately, the serve takes a lot of power, so I think I'll reserve it for game use in which I'll use it for a maximum of twice a game. Only because my arms may fall off if I do more.

I start the new serve like the Dice serve, but don't add the extra spin. I hit it with a side swing like usual, but run to the baseline instead of waiting. Fuji notices that the ball hitting his racket is different, so when he hits it towards the left he gets in position to return.

Not able to win the point, I begin a rally with Fuji. After the first thirty seconds, we start to increase in speed in power. Finally, I see my opening: to the left of Fuji, close to the net. I play my signature move: 360 slice. The ball rolls onto my twisted wrist, and as I turn the racket with the ball moving the opposite direction, the ball increases in speed and changes rotation. Finally, when it comes full circle so I can backhand it, Fuji is too far right and I slice it close to the net, away from him.

"40-love. Give up yet?"

Fuji smirks. "Not a chance."

The game continues on and on with Fuji gaining two points near the end. Still, it's only 40-30.

"Hurry up! It's almost time for class!" Buchou shouts at us, smiling as he knows that we're really into it.

"Sudden death?" I suggest. Fuji grins wickedly.

"How else?"

I serve for the last time this game. We rally until I hit a cord ball. Fuji smiles sadistically.

"Game over, Kinta-kun."

He uses his move Hoshi Hanabi, hitting the ball into the sky. He starts to walk carelessly to the middle to shake hands, but I'm still watching for the ball to come down. Finally, I see the speck and follow it to the right. Fuji frowns and follows me, but when he sees the ball coming to where I'm standing, he can't move. Even after I smash the ball to the right corner of his court, he still doesn't move, not even a blink.

"Fuji-kun, that's game."

I walk up to him as he stares at me.

"Fuji-kun. Fuji!" Nothing comes out from the boy's mouth.

"Fine then, Shusuke!" I yell in his face.

Finally, he snaps awake. "What? What happened?"

"I beat your Hoshi Hanabi. Now, come on Shusuke-san, we're going to be late!"

He blinks. 'When did he start calling me Shusuke?' A little anger grows. 'No one has ever called me that outside of my family.' Unable to rationally think it out, Fuji hurries to the locker room to change for school

'I guess I'll deal with it later.'


	5. Sadistic Fate

"Alright class, since Wanatai-sensei has left the school, the principal has decided to combine the class with ours and class 2-A. I'll also be pairing you a classmate to be your partner for the rest of the year. How you and your partner do on everything reflect your overall grade, so don't screw up." Futo-sensei boredly explains while the rest of us chatter excitedly.

'Who do I know that's in class 2-C?'

"Nya! That's Fujiko's class." Eiji yells out to the whole class. "I hope Fujiko gets to come. Ne, Oishi?"

"Yeah, then the four of us will be able to work together on everything." Oishi agrees.

Eiji whines. "Nya, Oishi~ you don't have to make it sound so boring!"

I chuckle, thinking how fun it could be. 'Or, it could be completely horrendous and the tensai will torture me all year.' That thought makes the hairs on my neck stand up.

Nearly sighing, I pray to Kami that Fuji doesn't come to our class.

"Everyone grab your things, stand outside with the other class, and when I call the pairs come in and sit in the seats from the left to the right."

"Hai, sensei."

It seemed like forever until my name was finally called. By then, both Eiji and Oishi had left me. Alone. With Fuji Shusuke.

"Sato Kinta and Fuji Shusuke."

We walk in the door and file into the desks at the end of the second-to-last table, nearest to the wall, and right behind partners Oishi and Eiji. Maybe Kami isn't too bad to me.

"Yahoo! We're all together!" Eiji cheers. And as much as I want to bang my head on my desk I refrain from doing so. Still, just because he's a cool guy and an awesome tennis player doesn't mean that I want to be tortured all year. Or maybe, if I'm super nice, he'll leave me alone.

I glance over at him to check my chances and his sadistic smile says it all.

Not a chance.

Futo-sensei starts to drone on and on about polynomials and such. I just sit back, relax, and take it all in. Not like there's much to take, because Kirin-nii already taught me so much. Fuji writes something on a sheet of paper and slides it onto my side of the long desk.

**Why aren't you paying attention? **

_I already know it all from home school. I'm too bored._

**Me too. The only subject I'm not very good at is history. I think it's too boring, so I try to make it interesting. However, not everyone sees it my way.**

_Ha ha. I hate science. Unless I'm going to be in the science or medical field I don't see why I'm forced to learn it. Who cares why different trees are in different places?_

**Exactly! Well, since our grades depend on each other, how about after every Friday or Saturday practice we study?**

_Well, it does sound like a good idea, but I usually have intensive tennis training those days._

**Would it be a problem if I tagged along and we studied afterward?**

_I guess so, but I'll have to check with Kirin._

Fuji was about to ask who Kirin is, but the Futo-sensei just switched to English. Now, we have to work with our partner to construct sentences with his random English words and use them in conversation.

"We can make the sentences in a conversation and hit two birds with one stone." Fuji supplies.

I look at him incredulously. "What did those birds every do to you? Nail you with a bomb?"

Fuji stares at me for a minute, trying to decide if I'm being serious or not. I grin cheekily at him. "Got you."

He smirks back. "If you want to play it that way, we can."

"You already started it."

"True."

We have a good laugh trying to come up with casual conversation sentences with ridiculous words like 'footle', 'hippopotamus', and 'spackle'. I seriously think he just goes on the internet and picks out random words.

Then, Futo-sensei remembers that he skipped history. I look out of the corner of my eye to see Fuji trying to hide a groan and failing. When I notice Fuji starting to fall asleep I prop his hand up and kick him under the table. He makes a startled noise and the teacher looks over. Sensei sees his hand raised and asks Fuji what his question is.

When Fuji can't reply I say, "He wanted to know what the importance of history is."

Fuji glares at me while I smirk at him, knowing that the teacher would probably ramble on and on about the subject. It's a good way to make fun of Fuji while getting the teacher off subject.

**You'll pay for that you know.**

_At least he's just rambling and didn't assign you an essay._

**True. Maybe not so bad after all.**

_See… I'm good for something._

The bell for lunch rings, so I take out the bento that Rei-chan made for me and open it.

"Oishii~!" Eiji exclaims, slowly getting closer to my bento.

"Hai, it is very delicious looking." Oishi agrees.

There's a ruckus outside of our door before Momo and Kaidou come crashing in. Behind them are Inui and Taka-san (I believe). We push together a few of the tables and take out our lunches. I look over at Taka-san.

"Hi, I'm Sato Kinta. I believe you're Taka-san." I greet.

The said boy blushes a bit and reaches out to shake my hand. "Hai, nice to meet you."

More of them continue to stare at my lunch before I push it more over towards Fuji and away from Momo.

"Who made that?" Momo asks, mouth watering.

"Fushuu… stop drooling baka."

"What'd you say mamushi!"

"You wanna go peach-head!"

"Kaidou. Momo." Was all Fuji needed to say in order for them to quit arguing. Well, his glare probably helped too.

"Saa… can I try a piece of your roll?" Fuji asks kindly.

I look over at him curiously. "Only if I can try one of yours."

"Kinta-san, you may want to rethink that." Oishi tries to warn me.

"Wh-" 'Why' I try to say.

"Deal." Fuji says and does the trade.

Inui gets out his data book and everyone waits apprehensively for me to eat it. I look over at Fuji first to see his reaction to Rei-chan's super-spicy shrimp roll. He chews slowly, as if taking in all of the flavors and spices. We swallows and smiles happily.

"What was that Kinta-kun?"

"Super spicy shrimp roll. It has four different kinds of pepper juices." I say happily. I love peppers, vinegar, and salt. My main condiment is soy sauce.

"Saa… your turn."

I look down at the new piece of sushi roll to see that it's rice with something green in the middle.

"What's the green stuff?" I ask, a little curious to what it may taste like.

"Don't you know what wasabi is?" Taka-san asks.

I shake my head no. I usually ignore everything else and use soy sauce.

"It's very-"

"Delicious. Just try it." Fuji urges. I look at Taka-san's worried face for a moment before putting the green piece in my mouth. Really, it just made my tongue and mouth kind of hot and was just a little bit spicier than what I had imagined.

'Maybe with some soy sauce it'd taste better.'

"Different," I say, smiling at Fuji's obvious dumbfoundedness. "Can I trade you one more? I want to try it with soy sauce."

He makes a face of disgust when I say soy sauce. "Sure."

I dump my two soy sauce packets into the small cup and dip the wasabi piece in it.

'Much better; less hot.'

I continue to eat the rest of my roll, noodles, and onigiri; saving the piece of apple cake for last. As I unwrap the plastic from the cake I could almost see Fuji's senses picking up the smell. He turns to me very slowly, smile still in place. He quickly looks around to see that everyone, including the data man, is busy with their lunch.

"Kinta-kun, can I trade you for your cake?" He says, almost in a sickly-sweet voice. I shiver.

"No." He tenses up. "But I'll give you it if you do something for me."

His eyes flash open. "What?"

I think for a moment. "Teach me an improved triple counter."

"Deal." The words were out of his mouth before he realized it I think. I smile inwardly.

'Perfect. Soon, I'll know all of your moves and be able to use them against you!'

Sadistic, yes, but very profitable.

I pick up the homemade apple cake and hand it to Fuji, who looks at it with awe.

"This isn't store bought." He sates.

I shrug. "No, Rei-chan makes them a lot. I can only eat green apples, because the red ones make me sick. The store bought ones are made with red apples, so she hand makes the cake."

Fuji devours the cake quickly, while still savoring every bite. Still, he wants more.

'I have to find a way to get more!'

The bell rings, so the others leave while we put back the desks and get ready for, uhg, science. At least I can do all of my homework before practice this afternoon.

"This semester we're going to be learning about ecology." Futo-sensei explains. Really, all I hear is 'blah, blah, blahblahblah.' Why can't he teach us things that would be useful and interesting? I nearly fall asleep in the middle, but Fuji's watchful eye keeps me awake.

'No way are you going to get me back.'

Again, Futo-sensei realizes that he had skipped literature, so we spend the better part of the next hour listening to his boring voice talk about some author I've never heard of.

Finally study hall rolls around. There's not much work to do other than answer some history questions from the book, finish the English sentences if you haven't yet, no math homework, and a worksheet for science. I stare at the dreaded worksheet, willing it to burst into flames with my eyes.

Eiji and Oishi turn around their seats and join Fuji and I at our table.

"Should we start with history?" Oishi asks politely. I grin at the chance to torture Fuji some more.

"Sure." I reply.

I open my book to skim through the chapter as Fuji writes down the questions from his book. We worked out a great system: he'd ask me questions and I'd answer them. If we didn't really understand something we'd ask Oishi, who likes to know everything thoroughly.

Then, we tackle the science worksheet. It's not too hard with multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank and short answer. Fuji volunteers us to do the true/false and fill in the blank. I blink at him in response.

"Unless you want to do short answer…"

"No!"

He grins and I glare back at him. 'Stupid tensai always testing me.'

Instead of arguing, like I know he wants me to do, I suck it up and tackle the true/false. Fuji checks my answers afterwards.

"Kinta-kun… you only answered two correctly."

"Cool. Out of how many?"

"Twelve."

"Oh, well, maybe not so great." I make a lame attempt to laugh it off, but it really is just pathetic.

He sighs. "Don't worry. I'll try to help you as much as possible."

"Arigatou!"

Finally, at the end of the first half hour reserved just for studying, we're let out for clubs and I race down the stairs to get to my locker and switch out my shoes. When I reach the locker rooms, I head to the bathroom after grabbing my clothes so I could pee then change.

The door to the locker room opens and closes shut. I hear the faint 'click' of a lock followed by footsteps. They become louder as they near the bathroom stall I'm in. Finally, the sound stops and I can see the shadow of a person leaning against my stall.

"Kinta-kun."

I freeze, recognizing the voice instantly.

"Hai." I reply confidently.

He adjusts himself before speaking again.

"I know your secret."

Shit. Fuji Shusuke, the sadistic tensai tennis player who's also my partner for everything, knows that I'm a girl.

'Play it cool.' "Really? You and what proof?" My voice is confident, but my whole body is shaking inside of the stall.

Fuji smirks and I can practically hear it.

"Photos, Data. You name it, I got it."

I scowl at him even though he can't see it.

"What do you want?" The words tumble out of my mouth in a low growl.

His sadistic smile grows. "Let's just say that if I ask you to do something, you will."

My scowl deepens. If I let him have that power over me there's no telling what he could do.

"What kind of deal is that?" My rebuttal is pathetic, but I have to see if he's flexible.

"One that'll save your face."

Silence.

Of course it would, because everyone would hate me if they know I'm a girl. You'll have complete control and I'll be able to do nothing.

"Two conditions."

"Name them and we'll see." Fuji's eyes twinkle in the pleasure he's getting from making me sweat.

"You never tell _anyone_ and I won't do anything illegal."

He chuckles. "Of course I wouldn't do either, because what fun is it to have you in jail or lose my leverage? However, you've just lost a chip in the game. Deal."

I grimace, knowing that I probably just made a deal with the devil himself, but I can't believe I didn't get anything out of it. Maybe I should've made him do my science homework.

"Oi! Is anyone in there? The door's locked, nya!" Eiji yells from the other side, banging on the door.

"Hai hai, Eiji, gomen." Fuji yells back as he walks away from my stall.

I release the breath I'd been holding and it comes out shakily. After flushing the toilet, I exit the stall and throw my clothes back into my locker. I exit the locker room rather roughly, almost hitting Oishi with the door on the way out.

"What's happened to him?" Oishi asks Fuji worriedly, pointing out the door after me.

"Saa, I wonder."

Afternoon practice goes by rather slowly, but maybe it's because I'm so pissed at Fuji. Buchou had us do our regular warm-up drills before Inui sets us up with some weird drills. I had put on my weights when I reached the courts before anyone else, so I could start building up more muscle, speed, and stamina. On each ankle I have fifteen pounds of weight and on each forearm ten pounds of weight. The straps of the weights are covered by a sock or sweatband.

Inui is testing each of us on our power, speed, timing, skills, stamina, mental state, and balance. Needless to say that each of these drills will be ten times harder with the weights on.

The first drill, which is for power, is trying to hit the tennis ball with enough power to break each of the objects set before us. There are things like wood, concrete, paper, plastic, a soda can, and even a shirt. I stare concernedly at a few of these things, wondering if they're actually possible to put even a dent in. Sighing, I get in line and watch my teammates before me try to complete the drill.

When it's my turn, and I'm the last one, I feel a bit of the pressure increase because everyone is staring at me. Although it is comforting to hear Eiji and the others root for me, I'm still nervous because power is my weakest area.

And for a guy, it probably sucks.

I break the soda can easily with the liquid oozing all over the ground. The t-shirt is a little harder, but I manage to utilize my speed to make a nice, tennis ball-sized hole in the middle. Paper is the easiest and plastic coming right after. Wood is the second to last and the crack I make barely makes it to the back of the plank. Concrete just plain scares me. I hardly make a crack on it, unlike Momo and Kaidou who both completely tore theirs apart.

Frustrated and still pissy, I brush angrily past Oishi, Eiji, Momo, and Kaidou. They all look after me and attempt to get my attention, but I ignore them. I see Fuji off to the side talking to Inui and I shoot him a dirty look. Sometimes, that smile can just get to you.

The second drill is speed which calms me down a little. For being an average-heighted guy, I can move swiftly and before anyone can blink. I'm working on my stamina problem, though it's gotten better. Still, I wait to see what Inui has set up for us.

"The goal is to bring each item back to its colored box." Inui says. Short and to the point. All of the items are spaced out irregularly and the boxes are all spread out too.

Everyone on the team is relatively fast, but a few really stand out: Fuji, Eiji, and me. With my weights on, we're all on par with our times. I smirk a little, knowing that if my weights were off then I would've been the fastest. Probably. I still don't know everyone's capabilities.

The timing drill looks interesting, which is because it looks a lot like baseball. When Inui tells us that we are playing baseball I nearly fall over. We all divide into two teams to play a quick game. Mostly, it's just batting and catching, but it's still baseball.

Next is the skills test, which I don't particularly like. We only have to show a few moves while playing a game against our partner, so I only use the ones most everyone has seen: flash stance, split step, dice serve, and 360 spin slice.

After the skills test we test our stamina. We play a game against someone we haven't played before and rally for as long as possible with everything we've got. I'm not sure if we played that way, because Eiji and I were mostly goofing off, but we were dead tired when we finished.

The mental state test doesn't really make sense to me. I guess it's just to see how well we handle the pressure against others better than us or who've tricked us or something. I've never really encountered something like that before because everyone I've played before I came here was better than me. Now, it may be a different story, but I'm not sure what difference it makes. Either way, I guess I pass.

The last drill is balance. Inui really went out on this one. He has us balance on one foot for as long as possible, then on a beam, then on our hands, and then while on top of someone else. He makes us run, skip, jump, roll, and do all sorts of weird things to test our balance. It's probably my second least favorite drill.

Inui tells us to play a quick match with our partners while he goes around telling us what we need to work on. I scowl in response, knowing that I have to look at _his_ face for just a while longer. Grudgingly, I walk over to our designated court. Already Fuji is there waiting and smiling at me.

"Too much for you?" He chides, knowing that my sour look isn't because of the drills.

"Insecure about your performance?" I shoot back at him, showing that I'm not in the mood for his jabs.

His eyebrows rise. "Touchy. You should be careful Kinta-kun."

I put my sunglasses on and narrow my eyes at him. "Threatening me now?"

His smile grows wider. "Saa, no need to be so hostile now." He doesn't answer my question, which means he is. I turn away from him and throw the ball from my pocket over my shoulder at him.

"You serve."

The game lasts for only fifteen minutes when Inui finally comes to our group. The last group, mind you.

"Fuji."

Said tensai looks over at the data-man smiling as always. "Inui."

"Power is above-average, but can be improved upon to make greater use out of your skills. Your skills in general are excellent, but a few new ones could be greatly beneficial to your arsenal. Stamina and speed in general is high but weights will need to be added to increase it. About eight pounds for each ankle to start off with will be fine."

Fuji nods, still smiling. "Saa, just as expected, ne Inui?"

Inui nods and turns to me. I scowl and cross my arms in return.

"Kinta-san. You lack muscle-"

At the other side of the court I can see Fuji chuckling and smiling to himself.

'Bastard.'

"-so that will need to be increased immediately. For your height, weight, and age, you'll need to gain five pounds of muscle to be in the target range. Along with that, your power is weak."

I shoot Inui a killer glare and he visibly shivers, though he doesn't consciously know he's doing it.

"You're already wearing weights, so in a few weeks you'll need to increase them by five pounds and a few weeks after that another five pounds."

I nearly snort, because I already know that!

"Of course, everything else is excellent, even though I haven't seen all of your skills. Try to work on your stamina with the weights as well."

He probably doesn't deserve it, but I just glare at him in response. It might have gone better if Fuji wasn't around, but he is. I nearly growl at him when I see his satisfied smirk, but just turn and walk off of the courts, telling buchou I'd see him Thursday morning and heading to the locker room.

Sometimes the littlest things can become a nightmare.


	6. Date

For the next week and a half Fuji makes my life hell. Not literally of course, but the things he did, or in some cases made _me_ do, just fueled my anger. He can be a nice guy and all, but I think this time he let his sadistic side of him take over a little too much.

Wednesday, my day off from tennis, he had me be target practice, saying that I needed to work out more. I didn't get hit or anything, but he made sure I came really close to it. After that, I had to pick up all the balls on the ground by myself. There were over three hundred balls too!

Thursday was a bit better, catching me off guard. He had me take all of his notes for him and promise to bring him lunch on Friday. Oh, and not to mention him "accidentally" making us come into last place on a drill and nearly had to drink Inui juice. I was curious, but after seeing it smoking I decided that it was a ploy. Somehow, a ball slipped into my swinging racket and smashed the entire pitcher of Inui juice. Oops.

Friday I brought him lunch. I had little hope that lunch would be it and I was right. A freshman that I didn't know came up to me after lunch and confessed. I was a bit startled, so Fuji took it upon himself to tell her that I wasn't interested. I wanted to go after the girl when she ran away, but Fuji insisted that I shouldn't try to explain things to her.

Saturday and Sunday were my days off, thankfully, as I had called off our study meeting due to frustrations. He still bugged me while I was on my computer, but it was pretty tame. At points even polite and fun. When he tries to, he can be pretty cool.

Monday through Friday was full of suffering again. I did his laundry, brought more lunch, restrung his racket, developed some photos for him (about 150 to be precise), was volunteered to be a male lead in a class re-enactment, cleaned the classroom for him and myself on different days, and even had to hold all of his books for him as we walked to and from school.

Maddening as it was, Saturday finally comes and the first weekend practice begins.

"Line up." Buchou commands after we finish our stretches.

We all get in a line and surprisingly it's by height. I nearly fall over when I realize that I'm the shortest one by far. I stand at a height of five feet and five inches, but obviously men tend grow taller than women. Fuji, who's next to me, is five foot ten. Eiji, who's after him is five foot eleven and Oishi is only a couple inches more than that. Everyone else is pretty near each other, averaging around six foot three. Seriously? I'm almost a foot shorter than the guys? Fuck my life.

"Alright, we're going to run around for awhile before we get to matches. Anyone who falls behind faces the consequences."

We all gulp.

"Good." And the run starts.

The pace isn't too bad to begin with, but it slowly increases. I find out that it gets more and more challenging when I run uphill and in various directions. Somehow, I find that it's strengthening.

"Kinta-chi! Try to keep up, nya!" Eiji yells back to me. I scowl in response.

'Stupid tall Asian guys. Always think that they're so tough.'

"Saa, Kinta-kun, if you need Momo to carry you just let me know."

I ignore Fuji, knowing that if he gets any response out of me that I'm going to either say or do something that I'll regret. Instead, I speed up past him, Eiji, and Oishi so that I'm beside Kaidou behind Momo.

"Fushuu." He greets me. I'm tempted to hiss back at him, but I don't feel like being a smart aleck to someone who hasn't done anything to me.

I smile in response. "Is this a typical Saturday?"

He nods, increasing his pace behind Momo.

"What time does practice end? It starts at seven, so does it end around eleven?"

"Fushuu."

I smile. "Nice, then we have the rest of the day off to do whatever."

Kaidou doesn't respond. Mostly because he doesn't know how to. He's trying to figure out if I meant 'we' as in everyone in general or 'we' as in himself and me.

Soon enough, the team arrives back at the school. Everyone breaks off with their partners to do the rest of the warm-ups and a couple of matches. The weights under my wristbands are feeling lighter each day, so I figure that I'll have to add another five pounds at the end of next week.

"Too heavy for you?" Fuji has taken up the role of picking on the little guy. Quite literally really.

"Wanna trade?" I snap back at him.

He shrugs and walks over to where I am. We trade the bands and put them on. Like I had figured already, my bands have more weights in them than his.

"Looks like you need to work on that muscle if you need this much."

"Looks like _you_ need to work on your tone if you don't" I retort back.

He chuckles. "Well played."

Like usual, we play our match against each other with a series of rallies. I don't think either of us really want to push the other to his breaking point. I know that Fuji's strong and smart, but I don't feel like showing him all I have just yet; and it seems that he feels the same way.

I know that I'm part of the team and all, but these guys all have a bond that I don't. I'm an outsider; just a replacement. I'm not really sure if they're sure that they want me here. Don't get me wrong, because they're nice and everything, but it's just that feeling.

Buchou ends the practice and I help to pick up the balls since I don't want to spend any more time with Fuji than is necessary. Maybe if he ever releases me from our deal I'll want to, but as of now, never.

Walking slowly back to the locker room I see Kaidou finishing his cool-down laps. I wave him over when he's done.

"What're you up to today?"

"Fushuu," he says in thought. "Probably going to eat and do homework."

I nod. "Is that what most people do?"

He shrugs, so I take that as a yes. Then, once my brain registers the word 'food' I remember that I promised him something.

"Oh, Kaidou, I never took you up on your offer to eat."

He blinks slowly and steadily at me. In his mind he's trying to clam himself down. He had just managed to convince himself only a few days before that I must've forgotten and that he's in the clear now. But, obviously not.

"F-fushuu." He replies uncertainly, but I don't notice and take it as a yes.

"Good, so I'll give you my number and you can come by the house you met me at before around seven?"

Kaidou nods mechanically and reaches for his phone. I take it and call my phone, inputting both numbers into their respective phones. Handing it back to him, I grab my things and tell him that I'll see him later. On the way back, however, I realize that I forgot to ask him who was joining us.

Guess I'll find out.

Walking home, I decide that I'd just pick up lunch instead of eating leftovers since both Kirin and Rei are out today. It's hard to imagine that they still go out though they're still pretty young, being only in their early thirties.

Meanwhile, a certain tensai is blackmailing Kaidou into giving him my phone number.

Passing the dango stand, I make my way to the ramen stand. As I pull the half-curtain away I see two familiar faces seated at a table near the counter.

"Oishi, Eiji-san!" I call out to them. The two in question turn to look at me warmly.

"Kinta-chi! What're you doing here?" Eiji asks, unable to contain himself on the chair.

I chuckle softly. "Getting some ramen of course."

We all laugh and Oishi invites me to sit with them.

"Have either of you ordered yet?" The shake their heads no.

Soon, a waitress comes by and takes our orders. Silence soon follows, but to avoid the uncomfortable feeling I ask both of them what they're doing later.

"Hmm… nothing at all really! Neh, Oishi?" Oishi nods in agreement.

"Eh? So, then would you guys like to come with Kaidou and I to eat?" I try to be as nonchalant about it as possible, but it made me worry a bit not to know who'd be there.

Eiji and Oishi blink at me in surprise before leaning in close to whisper. Of course, I can't hear them because the couple behind me just started arguing. In my ear, quite literally.

Eiji whispers to Oishi, "What do we do!"

"We can't say no, because it'll hurt his feelings." Oishi reasons, worrying that his new "gay" friend would be upset if they don't attend.

"But Kaidou's there! Don't you think that he'd like it to be a date more than us intruding?"

Oishi gasps. "But there's that older man he's with! We have to make sure that Kaidou lets him down easily. Think of what it could do to him!"

Eiji frowns in discontent. "Mou! But Oishi, what if he's asking us for a group date?"

Oishi nearly has a panic attack. "No! Kinta-san isn't like that… right?"

Eiji's eyes widen, obviously afraid if he really is. "We have to go, just to set everything straight!"

Oishi, eyes still full of worry, expresses his greatest fear. "What'll happen if that guy find us all with Kinta-san!"

Eiji, about to yell out in fear of the older male bringing hell upon himself and his friends, is interrupted by me.

"Oh, and it's my treat."

"EH!" Both boys exclaim.

"Nande?" Oishi asks. "You don't need to!"

I shrug, obviously not really caring if I need to or not. "I want to, because it's the first time I've actually had friends."

Eiji and Oishi share the same thought: 'How could you not have friends?'

"Oh, I was also wondering if I should invite Inui, Taka-san, Momo, and Fuji?"

"Momo is spending the afternoon with Echizen and Taka-san usually works late on Saturday nights." Oishi explains.

"Mou… and Inui is busy collecting data on him." Eiji says, showing me the text message he had just received.

After reading his message my phone vibrates in my pocket.

_**Unknown number: Hello, Kinta-san. You better be careful, or else your secret may be blown.**_

I frown, knowing only one person who this could be.

_Me: So, then would you like to join us for dinner?_

Fuji replies yes and I give him all of the details. Sighing internally, I can't help but wonder why I get myself into these predicaments. Seriously, what am I doing inviting my rival/enemy/friend/teammate with blackmail against me to dinner?

Sometimes, I wonder what goes through my head.

Well, that pondering subsides because the ramen finally arrives. We all eat normally; well, as normally as possible that is. Eiji kept playing with his chopsticks and noodles while I encourage him and Oishi chastises us both.

After paying for mine separately, since the pair does everything together, I tell them when and where to meet. Saying our 'see-you-laters', we go our separate ways. I feel a slight pang in my heart, wishing that I was as close to someone as Oishi and Eiji are.

When I arrive home I see that it's only just hitting noon. Feeling gross and smelly, I strip out of my tennis wear and jump into the hot shower. The hot water relaxes my tense muscles and washes all of the grime away. I feel a pang of sadness when I remember all of the things that I would do to get clean and smell good as a girl.

Being a "boy" and having short hair can be kind of depressing at times.

After my nice shower I decide to finish my homework, which consisted of reading and completing two worksheets, before I take a nap. However, the homework took much longer than I thought it would, so I was surprised when the doorbell awoke me from my peaceful nap.

Rubbing my eyes and wearing only my lounge clothes, I open the door to Kaidou.

"Kaidou, why are you here so early?" Being me, I fail to notice that the sun has gone down and it's in fact nearly seven o'clock.

"Fushuu," Kaidou replies, a slight blush on his face. He's embarrassed to be greeted by his "gay" senpai when he's wearing such relaxed clothing.

Not noticing his blush, but rather what he's wearing, I check the clock to see that it's indeed five minutes to seven.

"Gomen, Kaidou!" I apologize. "Please, come in, and I'll just take a minute to change."

Blinking quickly and stuttering slightly at his senpai's impulsiveness, Kaidou lets out a quiet 'fushuu', changes his shoes, and walks inside the quaint home. Sitting on the beige couch alone, he wonders if the older man is here. At that thought, Kaidou starts to sweat; thinking of all the possible outcomes if he encounters the person.

I walk back into the front room, now dressed in a pair of black pants and a beige shirt. My hair is still wild since the brush hardly did anything to it. It seems like it'll only behave when it's a bit longer than shoulder-length.

"Alright Kaidou, let's go."

He nods and walks out the door while I lock it after him.

"I hope you don't mind, but I invited Eiji, Oishi, and Fuji along and picked the place too."

Kaidou lets out a grateful "fushuu" though I couldn't tell the difference from his normal one. He's mentally cheering for not being alone with me at dinner. Then, he starts to question whether his other senpais were correct in saying that I'm gay.

We reach the restaurant and see that the other three are already there.

"I haven't been here before, nya!"

I smile. "Neither have I, but I heard that it's a good teppanyaki restaurant."

"Fushuu." Kaidou agrees, looking entranced at the menu as we're seated by the hostess.

Everyone orders some sort of soda while I order tea. Fuji gives me a side glance that I don't notice, but snuffs up my actions as it being part of my feminine side, much like my hands.

The waitress returns with our drinks and asks for our orders.

"I'm going to have the special for sure! Ne, Oishi?"

Oishi chuckles. "Definitely!"

I grin at the two of them, envying how close they are and the only people I've ever been that close with are Rei-chan and Kirin-nii.

"Saa… I think I'll have the fish and steak."

"Fushuu… the chicken and fish."

"I think… I'm going to have… the steak and shrimp, but can I have no vegetables and extra rice?"

The waitress looks at me strangely before jotting it down and leaving.

"Neh, Kinta-chi, you don't like vegetables?"

I frown in disgust. "Not at all. There are a select few that I can stand, but these aren't those; especially when they're being fried."

Fuji snickers at me. "You don't like being healthy."

I glare at him. "Says the man who coats everything in wasabi."

He scoffs. "Like you don't pour soy sauce on everything anyways."

I roll my eyes. "At least you have Inui juice if you ever run out of water." I jab at him. I've already figured out that Inui's juices are very… potent… and Fuji doesn't really "like" them as he's not affected and likes to point it out whenever possible in order to not drink them.

When our soups and salads arrive three other boys join our table. All of them are around our age and one of them looks pretty hot with fiery orange eyes and a shade darker hair. The three nod to us in greeting and we do the same. The orange-haired boy's eyes linger on my form a couple seconds longer than the rest.

My heart does a flip-flop, but I steady it. I tell myself that's it's just a boy. Even though he is good-looking there are many other guys hotter than him. Plus, I don't need anybody screwing up my plans of being undercover.

I sigh in frustration, but this action unknowingly makes the other four boys come to some wild conclusion.

With heads pressed together, they all talk quietly to the side of me while I focus on my appetizers.

"Did you see that? Mou… I think that guy looked at Kinta-chi longer than the rest of them!" Eiji points out.

Oishi's worry lines return. "What should we do?"

"Maybe we should be supportive." Fuji supplies, a wide smile in place already.

"Mou… how?"

"Why don't you act like you're interested?" Fuji's hidden eyes sparkle with anticipation of the set bait.

Oishi's eyes widen in surprise. "We aren't though. However, we might offend him if we don't express any interest. Would we offend him if we didn't?"

"…Fushuu…" Kaidou's uncertain hiss breaks the silence the small group had fallen into.

"I think you should." Fuji finally says.

"Eh!"

"Well, think of it this way. He'll think you don't accept him for who he is." Fuji's simple statement was enough to set off a wave of ridiculous possibilities from Oishi, and a few from Eiji.

"Oh no! Then he may get depressed-"

"Or not like us any more-"

"-and would fail his classes, hurt his tennis,-"

"And I'd never get any more of that yummy shrimp tempura he likes to bring!"

"-and would become so anti-social that he may commit suicide!"

The golden pair looks at each other anxiously. "We must do it!"

"…" Kaidou just can't say anything to this.

Fuji, on the other hand, is enjoying the meal immensely. Not only does he get to create chaos, it's at the expense at his new rival and prey.

'Oh how fun this will be.' The tensai thinks.

"Nya! Kinta-chi~ I think that orange-hair guy was checking you out!" Eiji whispers loudly into my ear, nearly making me choke on the soup in my mouth.

"Nani!"

No matter how awkward the situation is, the golden pair will do their best to help!

So Oishi, looking a bit embarrassed to be saying anything about the situation, says "Un. I, uh, think he's still staring at you."

Sure enough, when I look away from the duo, I see fiery eyes staring back into mine unblinking. 'Kind of… awkward.'

"Mou… why does Kinta-chi get all the cute ones?"

I blink five times quickly before looking shocked at Eiji.

'I had no idea he swung that way.'

"Now now, Eiji, I'm sure Kinta-kun won't mind sharing."

My tea sprays out of my mouth when Fuji's words reach my ears.

"Eh!"

Eiji looks at me and pouts cutely. "You don't wanna share with me? Wah! Oishi, Kinta-chi is being possessive!"

Oishi comforts his best friend, saying "I'm sure that it's because Kinta-san likes him too and wants him all for himself."

If I could die on the spot from what they were insinuating, I would. I turn in my seat to face Kaidou, but he seems just as uncomfortable as I am since he won't even look anywhere but his plate.

Instead, I turn to Fuji who seems like he's thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Are they gay?" I ask him bluntly.

His sadistic smile grows even wider. "Saa… it would seem wouldn't it?"

We both peer over to see the two comforting each other, saying that the other will always be the most important and best-looking person ever.

Seriously, I had no idea just HOW close those two really are.

After eating, the waitress asks how we wanted to split the bill. Before anyone could say anything, I said that I would be paying for the five of us. She comes back about a minute later and I pay with cash.

"You didn't have to do that Kinta-san." Oishi says worriedly. "It must've been expensive for all of us, and at dinner time no less!"

I smile and brush it off. "No worries. I'm glad I finally have friends to do this with."

Suddenly, all the tea catches up with me and I need to use the restroom.

"Excuse me, but I think I had too much tea." I stand up and sprint for the men's room, leaving the rest to chat for a couple minutes.

Fuji frowns, smile now gone. "Oishi, what did Kinta-san mean by 'finally have friends'?"

Oishi's worrying lines return as the other three boys look at him. "I think he honestly meant that he's never had friends before."

Eiji forgets that Kinta said this to him earlier."Nani! Never had friends? Oishi! We have to be the best first friends ever!"

"Fushuu…" Kaidou agrees quietly.

Fuji frowns, trying to decide if that could really be true. He did look kind of unsure about everything, but I had just guessed it from the awkwardness of Eiji and Oishi. Still, I just get some more information.

Fuji pauses for a moment.

'Kami… I sound like Inui."


	7. Revelations

"Ready to go?" I say, walking back to the table where the rest of my friends are. I smile at the thought of friends. Even though it's only been a couple weeks I feel like they're my real friends.

Still, when I watch how Eiji and Oishi interact I feel that loneliness return. The jealousy and envy that accompanies my loneliness surface when I think of how much I desire to be accepted by someone like they are.

Yet, there's something between all of the regulars that I just can't seem to grasp. A type of bond that was forged long ago when I wasn't a part of their lives yet. I've learned that I could probably never have what they have, but I still want it.

When the group parts Fuji says that he has some errands to run before going home. Kaidou hisses his good-bye as well.

I turn to the pair left beside me and open my mouth to speak before they do.

"Would you mind if you walked with me?" I know that my tone is sullen, but I can't help to have the urge to talk to them about their friendship. The concept is pretty foreign to me and they seem like the ideal pair to talk to.

That is, if I can get Eiji to be serious long enough.

The redhead and vice captain both catch the tone of my voice and agree to walk with me a little while longer before they return home for the night.

I walk aimlessly through the suburban houses as the two trail behind me. In my head there's an argument waging about what I want to say. There's just so much I want to ask, but I don't know if I want all of the answers. It's hard to know what you want when you don't know exactly what you're looking for.

Taking the next left, I lead the two into a park. There's a bench not too far away from a shrine. I sit down on the edge watching the fountain in front of the shrine glint subtly in the moonlight. When I hear the creak of the bench, I turn to glance at the duo before returning to watch the water.

After a couple minutes of silence Oishi opens his mouth to ask why I had brought them here, but my voice rings out softly instead.

"How long have the two of you been friends?"

Oishi, too stunned to answer, just blinks. Eiji responds instead.

"Since the beginning of middle school. We're best friends, nya!"

I nod, knowing that their friendship is rock solid after four years.

"Do you both consider me a friend?"

"Of course!" They both respond at once.

I smile weakly. "Really? As close as Fuji or like a teammate?"

They both fall silent, not knowing what to say. They've both known Fuji since middle school also. What could anyone say to that? However, I continue since I'd expected them not to respond.

"I know that all of you have a very close bond. I can't help but feel like I'd never be a part of that."

I look at the moon instead of the water's silver shine.

"Is it just me, because I'm not sure how to be a friend, or is it because there's just no room for me?"

Frowning and not liking the soft tone of my voice, Eiji expresses his concern.

"Mou, Kinta-chi~ what's with you? We all have best friends; you just have to find yours!"

Oishi adds also. "You'll become closer and closer to everyone, so don't worry! It's always hard being on the outside at first."

The golden pair look at each other knowingly for a long moment.

"I guess, but it's like everyone has a best friend except for me. You two have each other, Inui has Kaidou, and Momo has Echizen."

"What about Fujiko!" Eiji replies happily.

I sigh. "I don't think he likes me like that. I'm pretty sure he prefers being by himself."

"Not true."

I look at Oishi, wondering what he means. Aside from tennis and class I haven't seen or heard of anyone being with Fuji.

"Tezuka was closest to Fuji before he left for Germany to pursue his goal of being a professional."

"Yeah! Fujiko played one last game against him before he left and lost. I guess he just hasn't been the same since then."

Oishi takes a side glance at Eiji. "You could say that Fuji not only lost the match against his rival, but also his closest friend. He doesn't open up very much with us." He finishes with a shrug.

"Kinta-chi?"

"Hmm?"

"Why haven't you ever had any friends? We all have friends!"

I smile sadly. "It's a long story and that I don't really feel like sharing."

Eiji pouts, but I continue. "But I'll tell you the gist of it."

Eiji leans in closer to me, eager to hear the story and Oishi looks equally as interested.

"I don't live with my parents. For the longest time I had been homeschooled and never had any neighbors with children my age. I grew up with my best friend acting as my father figure. He's so much older than me that he's more like a brother, but no one ever wanted to get to know me whenever I went to the playground."

It wasn't a lot of information, but I hope that they'd understand just why this situation bothers me so much.

"Kinta-san, who's the older guy you were with a couple weeks ago?" Oishi asks suddenly.

I blink, trying to figure out why he's asking such an odd question.

"What did he look like?" Remembering one instance from two weeks ago takes a lot of effort.

"Nya! He's really tall, black hair, and looks like he's in his early thirties."

I blink slowly, finally realizing who they're describing.

"You mean Kirin?"

"Who's Kirin!" Eiji asks enthusiastically.

My eyes narrow at the two of them, wondering how they know about him since I've never been with him while around the team, except for Kaidou.

I decide to test them. "Where'd you see him?"

"At the grocery store. So, who is he because I think he's too old for you to be dating! Fujiko even said that you could possibly be intimate. Mou, is that true? I don't want Kinta-chi to get hurt!" Eiji whines, throwing his arms around my form.

I blink a few times, taking in all of what Eiji had said while looking at a sheepish Oishi.

Finally, it dawns on me what they were doing: spying!

Slowly, I pull Eiji off of me and smirk.

"So… who else was with you spying on us?"

They both sweat drop, seeing as I have the same sadistic smirk that Fuji usually has on when he's out for revenge.

"Eh-heh-heh…"

I raise an eyebrow and try to sweeten the deal. "You won't be punished if you tell me what happened too."

"Kaidou started it!" Eiji blurts out. My face turns into utter shock at the thought of Kaidou starting _anything_.

"What do you mean?"

"Mou… he was chasing you down to tell you that there was regular practice in the morning when he lost you in the marketplace and found us."

"H-hai…" Oishi says, still a bit embarrassed at his actions from then. "Then we decided to get Fuji and Inui to help us since they were near. Fuji said he saw you enter the grocery store with that man- Kirin-san?"

"Hmmm… I see. So, let me guess, you guys were the ones making all of that ruckus around me?"

"H-hai." They both reply.

I sigh. "I bet Fuji made up something ridiculous about me, didn't he?"

"Eh-heh-heh…hai." They both answer.

'Ahh… so I'll have to repay Fuji for this."

"Wah! It's not true then?" Eiji exclaims, scaring a couple of birds out of the fountain.

"Depends on what he insinuated." On the outside I'm cool and collected, but on the inside I'm freaking out. What if what he said had anything to do with me being a girl?

"He said that you may be in a relationship with Kirin-san." Oishi supplies.

I stare at the two of them before bursting out into laughter.

"Seriously? Me and Kirin? That's…That's just too… comical!"

"Honto! Even Inui said that there was a high probability that you were in a relationship with him." Now bouncing up and down all around the bench, Eiji is trying to piece everything together.

I chuckle a few more times. "Kirin isn't my boyfriend; he's my aniki."

"EH!" They both exclaim.

"He doesn't look anything like you Kinta-chi!"

"Hai, even Inui said that there was a less than 30% probability that you were brothers."

I finally settle down and face the both of them, deciding to tell them the truth and most of the story.

"Kirin-nii isn't my biological brother; he's my adoptive 'father'. To make a long story short, Kirin has lived with me for about all of my life and when my parents had to leave and couldn't take care of me; he and his wife Rei adopted me. So, he's more like a brother than anything, but he's technically my guardian."

Just then, I think of what happened at dinner and decide to put everything straight.

"By the way, I'm definitely not gay." Oishi and Eiji blush and look away from me. "But, thank you for the effort to make me feel comfortable. Though, I suggest that you never do that again."

"Heh-heh… yeah." Oishi says, looking a bit more comfortable and asks, "So, how old is Kirin then?"

I smile. "He's 33 and Rei's 30. They're about to have their first child in December."

"Nya! Really? That's awesome!" He continues to go on a rant while Oishi and I nod and talk to each other.

"Hey Oishi, something still bothers me a bit."

"Nani?"

"Why does everyone call you Oishi and Eiji 'Eiji'?"

He blinks for a moment. "I'm not really sure. Why?"

I shrug. "Just because you're so close to everyone, but even your best friend calls you by your family name."

Oishi thinks a little bit before responding. "I guess it's because it's shorter than 'Syuichiroh' and I don't have anyone aside from my parents to call me by that."

Considering this as a valid point, it still bothers me about the others. "What about Inui, Fuji, and Kaidou?"

He frowns and watches the bouncing redhead as he thinks. "Inui doesn't have any siblings either, Kaidou has a younger brother, and Fuji…" He trails off.

I frown and press him. "What about Fuji?"

Eiji takes this opportunity to save his partner from responding.

"Fujiko has a lot of trouble at home. I know he tries to cover it up, but he's pretty depressed right now, especially after Tezuka the year before."

Slightly annoyed at this crypticness, I press Eiji further. "How so?"

"Mou… his brother feels overshadowed by him and always attends different schools than him. He wants to beat Fujiko so badly that he early alienates himself from him. I'm pretty sure Fujiko blames himself and tries to make up for it whenever and however he can."

I blink at Eiji's sudden seriousness. It's obvious that they were once pretty close.

"Yeah," Oishi continues. "Fuji only has his mom at home now that his sister has left. Though, you could say that he's basically alone since his mom's always at his sister's place."

Frowning, I say the thing that's most prevalent on my mind.

"Do you think that he'll ever get over it? Or, is he too far gone?"

Oishi and Eiji, who's finally settling down, look at each other in concern for a moment.

"We don't know."

I frown in concern.

"He tries to act just like he used to when Tezuka was around, but I know that he feels empty inside with how everything's turning out." Oishi explains.

"Nya! Fujiko needs a new best friend! I think you should be it, Kinta-chi."

I blink in surprise. "M-me?"

"Hoi hoi! You need a best friend and so does he! A perfect match." He gives his signature victory sign.

I sigh. "I doubt he likes me any more than you guys; probably less."

"Mmm… I don't think so." Oishi says.

"Nande?" I ask.

"He's been more cheerful since you've become his partner. Since the beginning of high school he hasn't done anything sadistic or even shown interest in anything."

"Even tennis?" I question.

Eiji shrugs. "It's almost like he had lost interest."

"I'll think about it, but no promises. He's not one to mess with, you know?"

They both laugh and I join in. At that moment, when the three of us look at one another, I knew that it would be the start of an even better friendship.

"Eiji, Oishi, arigatou." I smile at them and wave as I take my leave from them at the entrance of the park.

"No problem, Kinta-chi! See you on Monday!" Eiji calls out.

I then think of something. "Oi! Don't tell anyone about Kirin yet." I call out.

Oishi looks confused, but yells back "Okay!"

Smiling at the perfect way to get back at Fuji, I jog back to my house only a few blocks away. When I reach the door, Kirin-nii throws it open and gives me a menacing glare.

"Where have you been!"

I flinch, not liking this glare.

Suddenly, I'm engulfed by strong arms and swept into the living room.

'What the-'

"Do you know how much I worried about you? Did you even check your phone!" He shakes my shoulders for a greater effect.

Blinking, I check my phone to see that… they are no messages.

"Kirin-nii…" I say slowly as he looks at me in his pitiful state. "Did you make sure to send the messages to me or the last person you sent them to?"

He stares at me before sweating. "I sent them to Rei, didn't I?"

Without a moment to spare, I dash from the living room to mine just in time to hear the front door slam open with a loud BANG!

"Kirin!" Rei yells.

"Crap." I hear him mutter, just a few feet away from me.

"How many times do I have to tell you to leave her alone?" She yells, making me flinch in response. Rei doesn't like it when her phone suddenly gets a thousand texts at once and none of them are about her.

Especially since she left him for only a moment to walk out to the car to get something.

"He he he… about… twice?" He tries to be cute, but it doesn't work.

I _almost_ feel sorry for him. However, he does deserve it. I let out a little snicker.

"Twice. Twice? TWICE! What do you take me for? I've told you at LEAST fifty times! Kami, Kirin, she's old enough to take care of herself!"

Kirin pouts. "But she was with boys, Rei, BOYS!"

Seriously, Kirin? That's the worst excuse ever…

Rei frowns. "Yeah, boys who think she's a boy too!"

"Well… yeah, but-"

"No buts! You are her brother, not her father. Besides, if she's ever interested in anyone, which will hopefully happen sooner than later, she'll tell us."

Kirin glares at her for a moment before pouting again. "But what if he's not good enough?"

I take this chance to stick my head out to comment. "Aniki, you can beat him thoroughly. Besides, I'm only interested in tennis, friends, and school right now. Deal with your own family!"

The door slams in his face and Rei chuckles.

"Serves you right!"

"Rei!"

Their voices trail off as the head into their own room. I grin, deciding to start implementing my plan to humiliate Fuji.

Turning on my laptop, I pull it up on my lap and wait for the chat to start up. Immediately, I see his screen name: cactitensai and double-click on it.

_Me: Sup Fuji?_

I nearly write Shusuke, but since I want to humiliate him, I'll wait to say it Monday. Though I don't realize it yet, my reasoning is faulty since I almost always unconsciously call him Shusuke-san.

**Fuji: Was about to go to bed when you decided to intrude.**

He must be tired and irritated about something, since he's usually go straight to taunting me. Although, now I'm 95% sure that he doesn't know my actual secret.

_Me: Aww… don't want to play tonight?_

**Fuji: Not worth it.**

_Me: What's up? Didn't you have fun at dinner?_

**Fuji: haha, yeah, but it's not that.**

Concerned, I push him.

_Me: what is it then?_

**Fuji: It's nothing really, I'm just being irrational.**

For the second time in two weeks, Fuji realizes that he's starting to act differently.

_Me: w/e but I'm sure it's not that bad._

**Fuji: maybe not, but it is for me.**

_Me: Well, if it's any consolation, I just had my brother lecture me about being out late._

**Fuji: Seriously? Aren't you a little old for that?**

_Me: That's what I said! His wife let him have it too._

**Fuji: Sounds like something my sister would do if she were here still.**

_Me: Where is she?_

**Fuji: With my mom at her house.**

_Me: Ehh… sorry. It's like that here too since my brother spends all of his time with his wife, even when they're in the house._

**Fuji: At least your brother is there.**

I was about to ask him what he means when I see the time: 1:32 A.m. We'd been talking for nearly two hours.

_Me: Sorry, I'd like to talk more but I have training in the morning._

**Fuji: S'okay, but training?**

_Me: Yeah, remember that I told you that my brother trains me in tennis? Well, he actually taught me how to play too._

**Fuji: Sounds nice.**

_Me: Yeah… he's all I really have. Well, him and my sister-in-law._

Fuji thinks about how similar they really are since he feels the same way.

_Me: Well, night Fuji. Try to get some rest._

Without either of knowing how or why, it makes Fuji feel a bit better.

**Fuji: Arigatou, Kinta-san. You too.**

I smile at his reply and shut down my laptop.

It's hard to believe how much I've learned about someone in just one night. I'm pretty sure that Eiji and Oishi will become even closer to me, but what about Fuji?

He's the one who's been alone for awhile now, not to mention how long he's been alone without much comfort from his family. I can only imagine what it must feel like for him, since I'm in a very similar situation. Still, I consider myself lucky to have found someone like Kirin-nii and Rei-chan.

I decide right now that I'll make Fuji see that he's not alone anymore and can open up to someone. It's obvious to me that he's hiding something and I want to know exactly what.

Obviously, no one has really ever cared enough to find out. I can only hope that I'm strong enough to eliminate some of his burden.

Turning off my light, I prepare myself mentally for training with Kirin tomorrow. Or, rather, later today seeing as it's now nearly two in the morning.

Smiling, I settle myself under the cool sheets of my bed and close my eyes.

No matter what, I'll always have Kirin-nii and Rei-chan, but who will Fuji have? I have them to call me by my first name, cook me meals, talk to me, tease me, and remember my favorite things. They _know_ me, but who_ knows_ Fuji? Has anyone ever taken the time?

Although I know next to nothing about him, I'm determined to change that.

Even if we don't become best friends, hopefully we'll become something close.

I drift into sleep, thinking of all the possibilities that could happen when I finally have my first, true almost/maybe best friend.


	8. Revenge

Sunday goes by fairly quickly, as I want it to, so I can start implementing my revenge on Fuji. Sure, I want us to be good friends, but he's a sadistic tensai!

One practice he gave Taka-san, who dropped by before work, a racket and watched as he chased me around the court yelling "BURNING! GO BABY! FASTER! BEAUTIFUL!" in English. His excuse: "You need to work more on your stamina". Not to mention that I had just added more weight to my bands.

I think he's reached a new level of sadism. Luckily, I'm here to pull him down.

Sunday night, however, was quite unexpected. Fuji was, unfortunately, in a better mood so the normal teasing was resumed. Soon though, the conversation took a huge turn when we mentioned the date from last night.

**Fuji: So, what's it feel like to realize that not only I, but Kaidou, Eiji, and Oishi also know your secret?**

I giggle at his comment, knowing full well what he means by my "secret". So, I play along.

_Me: It's horrible! What have you done?_

**Fuji: *smirks* well, you know that I could… persuade them… to think otherwise for a price…**

_Me: You mean blackmail? No way! Doing that to me is bad enough._

**Fuji: *shrugs* suit yourself, but I think that it's a waste.**

_Me: Why? Afraid that they'll tell everyone? They aren't like you. They have morals._

It was a low blow, I know, but I needed to fuel his anger.

**Fuji: . Right, like you don't know that Eiji has a big mouth and will spread your secret like wildfire.**

_Me: I doubt it, since you haven't already done so yourself._

**Fuji: What's that supposed to me?**

_Me: Ohh… getting defensive now, are we? It means just how I meant it: You won't let anything or anyone expose my secret before you do. I know that Eiji won't, because you've probably "persuaded" him already. On the other hand, I highly doubt you even have the balls to expose it if you want to keep up your special treatment and sadistic games._

Ouch. I've just questioned his man-pride and dissed his sadistic intentions.

**Fuji: You really believe that I won't do it?**

_Me: Of course I do. In fact, I'd bet my sunglasses on it._

Sunglasses don't seem like much, but whenever I'm being serious, I always put them on. No one has ever tried to take them from me and those who tried to question me about it *ahem* freshman *ahem* met an unfortunate "death" by Inui juice.

**Fuji: . **

A couple minutes passed where neither of us typed anything. I didn't want to give up, but when I was about to close my computer down he sent one last message.

**Fuji: Sato Kinta, you'll regret this decision tomorrow and for the rest of your life.**

I smiled, thinking 'Bring it Fuji Shusuke, you'll see just who you're messing with.'

Monday finally arrives and I have everything prepped and ready to go in my suitcase. Since Fuji doesn't know what's going to hit him, he thinks that I'm still bringing him a bento for lunch. I had woken up earlier than usual just to make his special bento. Everything else will need to be done before practice, so I have to leave early.

Walking out into the kitchen, I see that Rei isn't making any breakfast. I find it a bit odd, but she does need rest sometimes. Turning on the rice maker and pour a cup full in, I wait for it to cook while the toaster toasts my bread. Opening the fridge, I grab a bottle of soy sauce from the shelf. Kirin-nii calls it my soy sauce shelf, since that's all that on it.

When the toast finishes, I take out the jar of peanut butter from the pantry and smother a glob full on with a knife. I place the pieces of toast on a paper towel and grab a bowl from a cupboard for my rice to go in. Opening the fridge again, I find a container or punch and take it with me. With the rice finally done and sufficiently drowned in soy sauce, I quickly eat everything.

I hear a door open from behind me, on the other side of the living room, where Kirin and Rei sleep. Figuring it's Rei, since Kirin was up late finishing some business, I call out good morning to her.

"Hmph, I get dragged out of bed to get a crappy good morning, no breakfast, and no love?" A gruff voice complains.

Raising an eyebrow, I turn to look at a disheveled and haggard Kirin. Not really wanting to know if he was actually sleep-deprived from working or not, I focus on finishing my breakfast.

"You know, you could at _least_ pretend to care." He says as he walks past me to the fridge, looking at the leftovers from the lunch Rei had made the night before.

Swallowing my food, I reply shortly. "You know, you could at _least_ pretend to notice."

He freeze and turns to look at me slowly. "Notice what?"

I smile. "Exactly."

There's nothing for him to really notice, other than my more-than-cheerful attitude, but it'll drive him up a wall all day. It's punishment enough for someone who can't even throw on a pair of pants and a shirt before walking out to greet his younger sister.

"Oi… Oi!" He yells at me, but I'm already out the door and unable to reply to him.

As the end of my street nears, I bend down to tie my shoe. I don't really need to, because it's just an act, but what I do need to do is make sure that Fuji walks with me to practice. Not only do I want to see his reaction, but I want the revenge to finally begin.

"Hoi! Kinta-chi, what're you standing there for?"

Eiji, the hyperactive redhead, is the last person I had expected to see on this street.

"Waiting for Fuji, you?"

"Oishi said that he'd meet me at the park a little ways from here so that we can walk together."

I smile slyly at him, deciding to tease him a little bit. "Oh? So when did it begin? Was it because of Saturday night?"

He just gives me a clueless look before I wiggle my eyebrows and nudge him a bit.

His face reddens. "E-eh! No way, nya!"

"But Eiji," I continue, my smile spreading much like Fuji's does when he's playing with people. "You both are the Golden Pair."

His eyes widen. "H-hai, but-"

"So you admit it!"

"No! Hai! Not exactly!" He starts to panic, but calms down when I start laughing. "Mou… Kinta-chi that was mean!"

"G-gomen, Eiji, but it was just a little payback."

"Oi! Speaking of payback, what're you going to do to Fujiko?"

My sadistic grin, which I've perfectly copied from Fuji, widens immensely.

In the most Fuji-ish voice I can make, I say "Saa… just wait and see, Eiji."

Eiji shivers and down the street, exiting his house, Fuji audibly sneezes.

"Well, I'm going to meet Oishi. See you at practice!" He sprints as fast as he can away from my grinning, waving form.

"Ohai-" Fuji stops his 'Ohayo' short, seeing as that it's me who's waiting for him at the corner of my street.

I grin in response, putting on the demeanor of arrogance.

Fuji's sadistic smile takes an evil turn as we both size each other up before walking towards the school. I take this moment to notice the large posters in his hand, but don't mention it.

"Are you sure about this? You get no more chances otherwise." He doesn't even look at me when he says this. His voice is completely even, but I can detect a hint of intimidation coated in it.

In an equally even voice, I reply "Of course, since I sincerely think that you're just bluffing about that evidence."

Fuji frowns visibly, but his smile soon overtakes every feature on his face. "Well then, you'll just see how wrong you really are."

I shrug visibly, making sure that he can see that I'm not too concerned.

Arriving at practice, I stop to talk to buchou about the upcoming match against another high school next Saturday. When I see Fuji come out of the locker room, I excuse myself to change and head that way.

After seeing that I'm the only one in the room, I lock the door so that no one can see what I'm about to do.

Digging through my bag, I dig out the locker combination for locker number 3, courtesy of Inui Sadaharu. At first I was adamant about not revealing my plans, but when I realized that he could get just as much pleasure- excuse me, data- out of it as me, I let him in on my plans so that I could obtain the combination.

Opening Fuji's locker, I take out his clothes and replace them with the extra ones I've brought with me for this occasion. His clothes, now in my hands, will be thrown in a trash can on the other side of the school when Inui comes in after me.

I stow the bentos I made for us today in my locker along with my suitcase and close the door. Unlocking the door, I exit the locker room passing Inui. I smile secretively at him and he does the same. Jogging out to the court, I join my cocky partner. It's not to say that he's angry, but more like he's in vengeful-sadist mode.

The difference between that and his normal sadistic mode is that he's pleasant to everyone except me and that he's planning to reveal my "secret".

However, I already have the upper hand, since it'll be my revenge conquering his vengeance. Seriously, how prideful do guys have to be? It's just a couple of insults.

Surprisingly, practice was quiet between the tensai and me. He tried a couple of times to intimidate me, set me off, and even outright blackmail me. None of it worked, but it seemed to make him even giddier, if it's possible.

After practice, I decided to scout out my target for Fuji. I remember hearing about a fan club that had Monday morning meetings nearby the tennis courts. I decide to try the first room I find.

When I open it, I see a lot of posters with Eiji and Oishi on them. I realize quickly that this fan club is for girls who like both of the boys or want a threesome with them. I pushed the later thought out of my mind and greet the dozen or so girls in front of me.

"Ohayo!" I say with the most enthusiasm I can muster. "Sorry to barge in-"

"Kyaa! It's okay, Kinta-sama, barge in any time!" One of them yells out.

"Heh-heh, thanks. Well, um, could you tell me where Fuji's fan club is?" I ask as politely as possible.

A couple of them scream and I nearly cover my ears from the high pitch.

"You're joining the Fuji fan club! Oh, I would've never have thought!" One calls out, clinging onto another girl around the same size. I nearly fall over at what they're insinuating, but I retain my composure.

"Ha ha, I'm sorry for making it seem that way, but no. I need to deliver this bento to one of the girls who want to give this to Fuji." I explain quickly.

"Aww… are you sure that's all, Kinta-sama?" A freshman asks, clinging on to the front of my sweaty tennis shirt.

I carefully pull her off of me and try not to look too creeped out at what they're trying to imagine.

"Hai, Hai."

The girl pouts but says that it's the room down the hall and fourth door on the right.

I bow to the group. "Arigatou." I flash them a quick smile before shutting the door, hearing the faint sighs of some of the girls.

I sweat drop and feel a little sick. Seriously, I hope I _never_ run into my fan club. I shudder at the thought of ever revealing to them that I'm actually a girl. I repress the thought of whether if some of the girls wouldn't mind.

Quickly finding the door, I knock once and enter a room much like the previous one. However, this one is even more eerie than the first. It's decked out in poster and pictures of Fuji. Everything from playing tennis to eating to walking around town covers the walls. I can't help but feel sorry for the guy to be stalked by so many girls all alone.

"Ah! Kinta-san! What brings you here?" One of the fifty or so Fuji fan girls ask, practically drooling over my appearance of being here.

Before any of them could ask if I want to join their club, I get to my point.

"Who's in my year?"

Quite a few hands shoot up, but I keep up my charade.

"And who's going to confess to him soon?"

Only a couple hands are left and I pick a girl who is known for her bitchiness.

"Here," I say, tossing the bento I had prepared for Fuji earlier. "Give this to him during lunch. I'm sure that he'll love it."

The girl swoons and blows me a kiss. I nearly shudder and all but run out of the room.

Heading back to the locker room, I hear a cry of frustration from inside and quickly hide.

"Alright, who took my clothes!"

Silence.

"This isn't funny! You all will pay otherwise…" Fuji's angry voice carries over to me. However, I know that this threat won't work on Inui, since I already told him I'm his prime target.

After a couple more minutes, I see Fuji stomping past my hiding spot. He's pissed and dressed in the school uniform. Or, well, what's left of it.

I had shrunk the uniform down a size and a half, so that it was too small for Fuji. The pants, or rather what's left of them, look like tight knee-length shorts on him. The jacket won't even button all the way, since it's too tight around his chest. The length is still there on the body of it, but the sleeves are cut to above his elbows.

What's even better is that I replaced his white undershirt with one that's two sizes too small, so that the length is good, but it's so tight that his muscles show through.

Snickering quietly, I enter the locker room and take my sweet time getting dressed. When it's nearly five minutes before class, I head out to see how effective my revenge has been so far.

I wonder if the fan girls have gotten to him yet. It would be no surprise since he is one of the most popular tennis regulars and it helps that all the girls fawn over his good looks. A thought crosses my mind: what if he was abducted by a couple of them?

Hilarious indeed, but I wouldn't wish that on him or anyone.

Entering the school, I immediately see the beginning of Fuji's vengeance.

Posters of Kirin and me cover the lockers, walls, boards, and doors of every classroom and area. There are different poses, faces, and situations. I find them all highly comical, but some of the guys give me weirded-out looks. Quite a few girls blush and giggle as I pass by them. Stares follow me, as do whispers, but I take them all in stride.

Finally, I reach the door to my classroom and enter is gracefully.

"Hello, Shusuke." I greet, a grin ironed onto my face. And not just a grin, but one of pure excitement for what's about to happen.

"Kinta, how nice to see you." He says equally excited, leaning against our desk.

I tear my eyes away from his form to look at the girls in our class. They're all huddled together about six feet away from us. Even the guys, with the exception of Eiji and Oishi, are gathered away from us.

The girls, specifically, are either drooling over Fuji, blushing madly while looking between me and the picture being projected onto the board, or doing both. The guys, on the other hand, are either shooting Fuji envious looks or are avoiding my eyes while blushing.

"Did you have trouble finding clothes that fit you right or are you just too desperate to get some attention of the female variety?" I ask, emphasizing my point by tugging at his shirt, making it rise up a bit, so that the girls would see and swoon. He grimaces as a couple shout "kya!" really loud and faint.

"Well, I certainly didn't have any trouble finding out you and your secret." He replies smugly.

My eyebrows raise a little as I cross my arms over my chest and lean against the Golden Pair's desk. "Oh, and what would that be?"

Fuji gives me a look that screams 'yeah right'. "Haven't you seen the school? Or are you really blind? It's everywhere. Just look behind you."

To humor him, I turn to look at the board with the photo of Kirin pressed up against my back as he reaches up to get my spicy noodles from the top shelf since I'm so short. I shrug indifferently and turn to face him again.

"So what?"

"So what?" He scoffs. "You're dating a guy. A guy who's twice your age! It's clear to anyone, Kinta." He smirks at me, triumph emanating from his very being.

I want to drag this out even longer, just to crush that ego of his.

"How did you even get these pictures?" I ask concernedly, even though I know the answer. Eiji and Oishi now enter the room, but they stay off to the side; afraid to enter the obvious cage fight between us.

"You were with him in the grocery store; a public place mind you. Anyone could've of seen you! Though, I can't believe that you'd even allow yourself to be used by him." He replies.

Ohh… that kind of hits a nerve, but I remember that it's because he thinks I'm gay and I'm dating a guy twice as old at me.

"Used? I doubt that I'm being used." I'm not denying that I'm dating Kirin, yet. Though, the perfect opportunity should come up pretty soon.

"So it's true, Kinta-kun?" A girl I don't recognize, comes in with a photo in her hand. She's pretty, with long black hair and emerald green eyes. She's a bit shorter than me, but I can see the blush and worry in her eyes.

I turn to face her. "Do _you_ believe it?"

She holds the photo close to herself in self-consciousness and shuts her eyes. Finally, she stutters out an answer.

"N-no! I don't believe that Kinta-kun is gay!"

I smile and walk to the shaking girl and embrace her. Her form freezes and eyes that were once shut are now wide open.

"Arigatou." I thank her quietly, before releasing her and returning to my brawl with the tensai.

Much like everyone else, the Shusuke's eyes are wide open. His azure orbs search my features for any hint of deception.

"Really?" He asks, sadistic smirk now wiped clean off of his face and posture more defensive. "Then just _who_ is _that?_" He asks, pointing at Kirin.

I tilt my head to the side and while still watching his eyes, point my thumb behind me at Kirin. "You mean him? I would've thought that you would've already known since you _did_ stalk me."

The whole classroom is filled with silence. Not just that, but a choking are that's pressing against everyone's head, making every person nauseous. Well, except for me. I'm having fun with this.

Striking blue eyes pierce through the thick air and a cold voice slices to my ears. "I never stalked you."

"Oh? Then how did you get those pictures? You _did_ admit to following me, so when you took pictures it was upgraded to stalking."

Fuji. Is. Angry. That's putting it mildly even. Although, what's about to be said and done will definitely be a turning point.

His blue eyes glare icily at me. "It was _one_ time and _not_ stalking. Besides, you haven't even denied _being_ gay. So, please, just tell me who that is."

I want to laugh. Oh, I'm holding back all the giggles, but I must keep up my image. Besides, everything I've worked for to plan this perfect revenge for the past week of hell can't just go to waste. I'm stilled pissed about the Inui juice incident…

I smirk. "One word."

Fuji rolls his eyes. "Makes sense, because he's your-"

"Aniki."

Silence…

"ANIKI!" Everyone shouts, while Fuji is frozen and rooted to the spot. His icy, azure eyes are wide and his mouth can't seem to form words.

"Hai," I respond nonchalantly. "That was Kirin-nii with me at the grocery store. He's pretty overbearing at times." I roll my eyes for effect.

"But-but… Inui said-"

"That there was a less than 30% chance of him being my brother? That's true. We're not related at all, but he's still my brother."

Evidently, all the girls decide to come out of shock and surround me. They yell things like "Oh! You're so cute when you're with your brother!" and "Your brother's hot! Can me and [insert random girl's name] double date with you?] And such.

I run my hand messily through my hair and push off the girls gently from my body.

"Maa maa! Kirin-nii is married and, as Fuji said, is twice as old as me. However," I look over slyly at Fuji. "I'm sure Fuji would love to double date with you girls, since he has a younger brother."

The attention now turns to Fuji, whose sending daggers my way; his face is stony and cold. I take this chance to chat with Eiji and Oishi for another minute before the class bell rings and I take my seat by the brooding, humiliated Fuji.

My guess is that since he hasn't spoken a word or sent me a dirty look, that he's finally realizing just how egotistical he was being. Especially since I've knocked his pride down a few notches.


	9. Realizations

As lunchtime rolls around, I'm starting to question whether or not I'm being too mean to Fuji. Then again, after the week of hell and his arrogant performance today, I think he really does deserve all of this. I'm not saying that I enjoy doing this to him, even though I do, but it's for his own good. For once in his life, he needs to learn that not everybody can be messed with.

Ah, cue the lunch bell… Now!

I turn to Fuji. "Shusuke, would you like a bento?"

Receiving an evil glare from the brooding boy beside me, I take it as a no. However, I can't give up just yet.

"Aww, but Shusuke, I made it for you because you asked me to!" I fake a disappointed sigh. "I promise that it's really yummy!"

His icy blue eyes pierce my form with his deepening glare. Without a word, the tensai stands up and moves over to another group away from Eiji, Oishi, and I.

"Mou… Kinta-chi~ why'd you make Fuji move?" Eiji complains.

I shrug and smile. "I didn't _make_ him move Eiji. All I did was offer him a delicious bento."

Oishi looks at me skeptically. "Really? Are you sure you're not done messing with him?"

Grinning, I show him the bento I had offered Fuji and point at the girl walking into our room, whom I met with earlier.

"He really should've taken this one, because the one I gave that girl has everything coated in vinegar and soy sauce."

"Ehh! But Fuji _hates_ that!" They both whisper loudly into my face.

I chuckle. "Exactly."

Eiji frowns, clearly missing something. "But, then he won't eat it."

Smirking, I tell him the other part to my bento surprise plan. "That's exactly why I left a note tell the girl not to let him see the food and make him eat it."

Oishi's alarms in his head start to go off. "No! That's terrible! I have to-"

However, the plan had already begun. When Oishi had stood up from our desks, the girl placed a vinegar and soy sauced-dunked tempura roll into Fuji's mouth.

We all could literally count down the number of seconds it would take for Fuji to react. Although, the best part of the whole scenario isn't the fact that he didn't spit it out. Oh no, it's the fact that he _ate_ it!

All of our eyes are wide and staring at Fuji. We watch as he asks for another bite from the girl. With a squeal of delight from the bitch, I mean, girl, Fuji takes a moment to shoot a triumphant smirk my direction. It almost makes me laugh, except for the fact that Fuji's eyebrows and hands a twitching like crazy. From the food or the girl, I'm not too sure.

About five minutes before lunch ends, Fuji grabs his things and excuses himself. I nearly follow him out of the classroom, just to see what he's going to do, but when I see that he's nearly jogging when he leaves, I decide not to.

It's safe to say though, that he did not come back for the rest of the day, practice, or the next day and practice as well. When he does come back on Wednesday, he makes sure to avoid eye contact, talking to me, having any physical contact, or anything to do with me really. Seriously, not even a glare!

I _almost_ feel bad for him and so when I approach him to apologize after practice Friday afternoon, what he says shocks me.

"Would you like to come over tomorrow to start on our history project? I know it's not due until the Monday after next week, but you know that we'll be busy all week for the tournament next weekend."

I blink once, then twice. I even stare at him, trying to see if he's really wearing that normal fake, closed-eyed smile. Sure enough, he's definitely real _and_ staring at me for a response.

"Right, uh, sure."

He nods and turns to walk to the locker room while I head back home. Watching him for a little bit, I determine that he's definitely acting like the Fuji I met on the first day, may be even a little humbler. But still, you can't judge a book until you read it, right?

So, when Saturday morning comes I expect Fuji to be back to his old sadistic ways, trying to get vengeance for my revenge against his blackmail. However, what I find is a quiet, helpful Fuji instead. He gives me points, stays at my pace, and even saves me from the evil Inui juice.

Near the end of practice, I have had about enough. Really, I would enjoy seeing a Fuji like this, but his demeanor is all wrong. He's Fuji, the sadistic tensai. Today though, he's Fuji, the wallflower. I think that if anyone came by to find Fuji that he's miss him since he's being the exact opposite of what he usually is.

Walking up to him, he turns to me and gives me that stupid fake smile of his. It angers me that he can't seem to have any other emotions than anger, sadisticness, and (some times, though very rarely) happiness. The first thing I do then is smack him upside the head.

"…" His smile is still intact and face unmoving.

"Well, say something!" I yell at him.

"Why? It won't change that you hate me. I've just accepted it now."

Seriously, when have I _ever_ seemed like I hate him? "If you're talking about my revenge, it's because _you freaking blackmailed me and made everyone think I was gay!_"

He finally cracks his façade and crosses his arms. "Only because you…"

I nearly slap myself in the forehead. "Because I stood up to you? Because I didn't want to take your abuse anymore? Shit, Shusuke, I really thought you had something horrible on me! Not minding that I had _no idea_ what it could've been, you scared the hell out of me. Then, you have the nerve to put me _in_ hell!"

"…"

Deadpanning wouldn't help the situation, so I sigh and try to reclaim my rationality.

"Look, I don't hate you-"

"I'm not really sure if I hate you or not yet." He interrupts me, a frown evident on his face while calm azure eyes threaten to smother me.

"Thanks," I reply sarcastically. "Anyway, I don't hate you, because you're the closest friend I have."

He looks at me strangely; not really buying it, like when I offered him my bento on Monday.

"Ya, thanks for making this more awkward by the way. Still, you needed to be shown that there _are_ other people out here! Kami, I wonder if you even know they care, because it certainly doesn't seem like you do anymore. When will you grow up and finally realize that not every person is out to get you?"

After throwing my ball at the fence and getting it stuck there, I pick up my bag and walk to Monomi-buchou to receive my regular's jacket, warm-up pants and shirt before I leave. Luckily, buchou was the only one to see the argument Fuji and I just had, since everyone else was still working on the harder drills.

"Later, buchou, I'll be early Monday morning for practice." I say lowly, keeping my eyes out of sight. I don't even glancing back at Fuji as I walk away from him and everything else to go home.

I wonder if home is better than practice anyways. Kirin-nii cancelled training to go out on a job for a weekend while Rei was called away for a convention somewhere down in south Japan. That leaves just me in the house for the rest of today and part of tomorrow.

Sighing lightly, I stick my key in the door and trudge into the house. Feeling depressed, though I shouldn't, I lie on the couch and close my eyes.

Fuji just infuriates me to a point that I never knew I had. I have no idea what happened to him in the past or is happening to him now, but he really needs to grow a pair and learn what's best for him.

I don't like drama, or creating it, but it feels like I'm just Fuji's prime target _all_ the time. Hopefully he'll come to his senses soon enough. Now finally grasping the fact that we wouldn't be working on the project today, and wouldn't be able to the rest of the week due to practice, I push myself up and walk to my room to get the textbook and materials.

This is going to be a long day, considering that I have to make a scale model of Japan with all of the battle zones accurately pinpointed during the feudal era _and_ write the report about it and its significance.

This time, I definitely screwed up. I should've just waited until after this was all over to blow up at him, but I couldn't. That boy knows just how to light my fuse and I can't handle it. I guess that's what you call being a girl, but I don't like it. Especially if it means that I have to be even more cautious around the person whom I'm around the most: the ever-watchful, sadistic tensai, Fuji Shusuke.

Which reminds me, he has all of my notes, since he stole them from me on Wednesday to learn about the project and it's necessary components.

Damn you.

Instead of wasting my time brooding over what happened, I decide to re-do all of my notes, start the base of the model, and outline the essay. With everyone gone, I turn up the sound of the radio to one of the highest settings. Now, there will be no way for anyone or anything to disturb me.

**Fuji's POV**

I stand there, too shocked to say anything. Kinta just basically told me to open my eyes to see that world isn't out to get me. That doesn't mean that not a lot of them are.

But, it does mean I'm missing out on the ones who aren't.

Watching silently as buchou hands him his regular's jersey and workout clothes, so he can break them in for our first tournament, I will him with my eyes to make him glance back. He doesn't though. All he does is walk away from me. After all he said… it's probably all he can do, since he's infuriated with me.

Me and what I said at least. I close my eyes and walk off of the courts to the showers, not muttering a word to the captain two feet away. All I can think about is if what I said was true: do I really hate him?

Undressing and stepping into the hot shower, I rub my hands against my eyes. I don't hate him; I just hate what he does to me. Ever since he came, I've been reverting back to my old self. No, not eve that. I've been reverting back to the self I was before my whole world changed.

Shaking the water from my head, I shy away from the thoughts of my earlier years. The old wounds have healed, but the blood beneath them still burns. It still doesn't answer the questions aching within my head:

Why do I find him so intriguing? Why can't I stay away from him? And really, why am I starting to change?

Of course, I've only known him for a few weeks, but it that all it takes? Are a few weeks of a new friendship all it takes to make me see the monster I have become? I can't stay away from him, because we're partners in everything, but this strange sort of friendship is starting to make me realize something.

As I turn off the shower and wrap a towel around my waist, I realize just what it is. Ever since _he_ left, I'd become unbearable to everyone, including myself.

Frowning, I dress and think about why I acted different around Kinta than everyone else. Eiji and Tezuka, when he was still here, had been my closest friends. Eiji had deepened his bond with Oishi while Tezuka's and mine had fallen apart at the seams. It's obvious that I was happy for him to follow his dreams, but angry at myself for not being motivated enough to get better.

An epiphany arrives. Maybe that's why I'm so attracted to Kinta. He's like Tezuka in a way, since everything about him is so mysterious. Even the way he plays is nothing like what I've seen before. I'm slowly changing so that I'll become more motivated to reaching my goal: to be able to beat my best friend in a match.

Happy with what I've uncovered, a weight lifts off of my shoulders. I know now that I've been hurting Eiji, Oishi, and everyone else by not being an actual friend. My sadistic side can never be erased, but at the very least I can work on being a better friend, especially since I've let them down more than once.

It's late when I finally exit the school since I've just been wandering around. Guilt looms over me when I realize that I've let the closest person to me down. And trust me, saying that Kinta is the closest person to me is a big deal, since I know next to nothing about him. Eiji I know more about, but I'm just not as close. Still, Kinta had every right to shove into my face that I've been a douche bag. Admitting it doesn't make me feel better, the opposite actually, but it makes me see that I have a lot of work ahead of me if I want to be an actual human being.

After walking into my house and heading up the stairs to my room, I freeze when I touch the doorknob. Just when had I start thinking about being an actual human being? As far as I can remember, I didn't care about my life as long as everyone else is happy. First otou-san, then my best friend, then Yuu-ta, Tezuka, nee-chan, and even my own tennis team; I don't know any of them anymore.

If I suddenly ran away or disappeared, I doubt that any of them would realize I'm gone.

Finally, I open the door and flop onto my bed in the clean clothes I had brought with me from practice. I begin to wonder if anyone at all would realize it or even care.

'Kinta would.'

I sigh, wondering if it's actually true. He cared enough to show me what a tool I was being. He wondered where I was when I saw sick from the vinegar and soy sauce tempura rolls for a day. Even after all the torture I put him through, he had seen through my façade and confronted me. Not just about that, but about what I was doing to everyone else.

It's true that I've been ignoring the calls and texts from my friends. At first, they were persistent, but over time they'd slowly given up. Even Eiji, the hyper kid who _never_ gives up for _any_ reason gave up. When being partnered for drills, I always had a person I never knew the name of. No one really cared how well I performed any more or even if I showed up for practice.

At that time, I didn't think anything of it or cared, because the one person who I wanted there wasn't. But when Kinta first showed up, I was curious, especially after his first match. The way he moves is inconsistent with his demeanor. He's reserved on the court; not wasting any movement unless it's against something he's never seen before. However, I can tell by his posture that he's relaxed and excited, instead of the stoic captain I'd seen so often.

To be completely honest with myself, I was infuriated when I first realized who I had compared him to. A person like that didn't deserve to be anywhere near me, because the only challenge is Tezuka and everyone like him. Of course, that completely changed when I started to play against him and see his weaknesses. I slowly began to realize that he's not Tezuka nor is he trying to be anything like him; just a pure coincidence.

So, I'd begun to accept him. At first, as a teammate, but it quickly escalated into something I'm not even sure of now. I have no idea what this feeling is, since it's so different from the usual hate, self-loathing, bits of happiness, and depression that I'm used to. There's just something about him that makes everything change. Whether or not I like it, I can tell that it's a good thing. Even Eiji has started to notice a change in me coming about.

Figuring that instead of wasting time wallowing in my self-pity, I decide to start on the essay portion of the project, since I won't be able to do it any other night. Dragging my textbook closer to me, I see some papers sticking out of it. Not remembering why they're in there the first place, I take them out to read them.

In a neat scrawl, I read the heading of the paper: _Feudal Era History Project Notes, by Sato Kinta._

Minutes slowly pass by as I stare at the heading of the paper. I can hardly believe that I hadn't copied down the notes he'd lent me yesterday and just left them here in my textbook.

To my crappy defense, I _was_ still a bit pissed at him.

Anyway, I decide to text him about the notes, seeing as he can't do much of the project without them. There _are _twenty pages that he handwritten that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Though, after five minutes of waiting and no reply, I try to call him instead. The phone rings five times before it goes to voice mail. Seeing as it's important, I try again, but achieve the same result.

Then I think what if he's asleep? Checking the time, it's only six o'clock, so that's out. If he's not asleep, then what if he got hurt and couldn't reach the phone? Still… wouldn't someone be home anyway? But… what if there's not?

After portraying Oishi's worried nature, I decide that I should go over to Kinta's house. First I'll see if he's alright, and if he is, I'll just use my apology as an excuse for me being over there. Yeah, then it won't see as if I'm worried about him. I'm really not because I just feel bad about being a douche to him. _Some_ people need to be messed with, but he definitely isn't one of them. Therefore, an apology I owe him no matter what!

I nearly trip down the stairs when I realize that I've been taking on the personalities of Inui and Oishi. Then again, what exactly _is_ my personality? I'm pretty sure that I'm a slightly caring, mostly sadistic person, but is that _all_ I am? If it is, Kami… I suck.

Shaking the hair that had fallen into my eyes after tripping out of the way, I make sure to grab the notes and some materials to take with me to Kinta's house. Walking out to the front door, I look around to see that no one is home… again. I pause momentarily to let out a small sigh, but continue to walk to my destination.

When I reach it, I look to see that there's only one light on in the one-story house: the living room. Figuring that someone must be home, I knock on the door.

No answer.

Maybe he didn't hear me, so I knock on it louder and longer.

Once again, no answer.

I start to get impatient, so I just try the doorknob; it's unlocked. Suddenly worried at the thought of someone breaking in, I rush in to make sure that Kinta's still here and okay. I see a flop of purple hair sticking out for the armrest of a couch. Smiling slightly, I quietly walk over to him.

His eyes are closed (like usual), chest rising and falling slowly, and he's dressed in a pair of beige pants and a black shirt. Bits and pieces of cardboard and tape are stuck to his clothes. I really want to take a photo to blackmail him with, but I figure that I owe him one… or a couple. So, instead, I check his phone to see if it's on. When I press the button, the status says 'silent' which explains why he couldn't hear the texts or calls.

I look down at the floor to see the textbook wide open and a hurried scrawl, much similar to the neat one from earlier, over a bunch of pages containing notes about our project. The laptop, still open on the table in the middle of the room, has a document containing the outline of the paper. Next to it lays the scale model of Japan. The country is raised on a huge piece of flat cardboard by a mixture of glue, papier-mâché, and pieces of cardboard. The battle fields are outlined on a piece of paper next to it as the air dries the model.

Guilt rises within me again, and for the second time tonight, I question why this person would go through so much for me. Why would he put _both_ of our names on the essay outline if I hadn't done anything yet? Does he assume I will help him? I'm not really sure of the answers, but I know that he's put a lot of time and effort into starting this project, even without all of his notes.

I figure that the least I can do is finish everything, so I stand up to change my shoes, lock the door, and throw a pillow over Kinta before settling down. All I can think about is that this project has to be the best, because I'm not going to pull an all-nighter for just anyone.

Oh no, because this person isn't _just_ anyone.


	10. Encounters

Waking up seems to be a little more difficult than usual. My face feels as if it's being smothered by something, so I can barely breathe. Snapping open my eyes I throw the thing that's smothering me onto the floor.

Blinking in the filtered sunlight form the nearby window, I see that the life-threatening device was actually a pillow. Though, I don't remember having a pillow anywhere near me last night. In fact, I still seem to be downstairs in the living room where I was doing my project.

Hearing a faint breathing sound, I scan the room to see where it's coming from. Across from me on the opposite couch is a mass covered by blankets. Frowning at someone trespassing, stealing my blankets, and deciding to get a free warm room to sleep in, I grab the closest object to me: my textbook.

Silently creeping over to the sleeping mass, I hold the large, thick history textbook over my head. When I'm close enough, I decide to count to three, pull back the covers, and slam the book onto the intruder's head.

Alright. 1… 2… 3! When I throw back the covers, I see a mess of brown hair that I vaguely recognize before the heavy textbook comes slamming onto his head. Immediately, the figure snaps his eyes open and I catch the familiar blue eyes of a certain someone before ducking behind the couch I had previously occupied. The figure yells and clutches his head as I'm cowering.

"Shit! Kinta, it's me!"

Now, I definitely _know_ that voice, but I'm smart enough to know that some people can copy others' personalities and voices.

"Me? Me who?"

"Dammit, Kinta, Fuji! Fuji Shusuke! Didn't you at least check to see if it was someone you knew before you decided to drop that hellish textbook on my head?" His voice is angry, but I bet it's mostly because of the pain he's in.

Standing up straight from my hiding pace, I lean against the couch looking skeptically at the tensai who's pressing his hands against his face.

"Why would I? The last thing I remember was falling asleep _alone_ in _my_ house. Which brings me to the question of why _you're_ here." My eyes are still open, but Fuji can't bear to look at me anyways at the moment. Therefore, I can have them open without him noticing that I'm actually a girl.

Shit. I just slept… alone in my house… with Fuji Shusuke. Then again, he still thinks that I'm a boy. I close my eyes; so that there is _no_ possibility that he could tell that I'm actually a girl. There are only four ways in which he could possibly find out that I'm a girl.

One is if I open my eyes. The oval, long-eye lashed pretty eyes would be a dead give-away. As well as my hair, which is why I can't let it get too long or have a hair band in it at any time. The third way is if I ever talk normally. My voice is naturally a sweet soothing voice, which is tons better than it being high and pitchy like those annoying fan girls. This type of voice is also perfect for impersonating a boy when need be. The only downside is that I can't talk _all_ the time in my "boy voice" because then I'll start to slip.

Of course the last way to ever discover that I'm actually a girl is if someone sees me naked or touches me the wrong way. Eiji always comes so close to grabbing my small boobs that I feel as if I may die of too many heart attacks. Still, I don't think that anyone seeing me will be a problem since I always shower at home.

Fuji's voice snaps me out of my reminiscence. "Well, if _someone_ wouldn't have his phone on silent then I wouldn't have needed to come all the way here."

He sits up and I watch him as he agonizingly takes away his hands from his face. I hold back my laughter as I see that he has a large red mark across his face from where I dropped the textbook. "I'll get you some ice." I say instead, walking the ten feet it takes to get to the fridge from the closest couch.

"Why did you come here anyway? I thought that you'd have been too pissed to talk to me for weeks." I place the pack of ice over his forehead, since that's the primary place of impact.

Fuji looks away from me and towards the television instead. "I thought a lot about what you said and realized how big of a douche I had been being; not only to you, but to all of my friends as well. So, I tried to call and text you a number of times, but you didn't ever reply. I saw that I had your notes and since you never answered my calls, I decided to return them to you."

He pauses and I jump at the chance to attack. "How did you get in?"

He hesitates. "The door was unlocked."

I want to smack myself out of stupidity. I've always had trouble remembering to lock doors, close them, and whatnot. "Then why did you stay?"

A loud sigh escapes his lips and I take it that he doesn't really want to share. I start to tell him that it's alright, but he explains anyway.

"I thought that someone may have broken in, and since you weren't answering, I wanted to make sure that nothing had happened. I saw that you started and finished a large portion of our project, so I decided to help out while you were asleep."

Sure enough, the diagram was dried, painted, and labeled correctly. Even the essay was completed and translated into the English component of our project.

"You didn't have to." He shrugs in reply. "But thanks. So I have to ask, why did I wake up with a pillow on my face?"

"I thought that you might suffocate and die."

"Really?"

"No, I just wanted the blankets for myself."

I nearly fall over. "Of course."

Sighing, I stand up and walk over to the kitchen, past the completed project.

"For all your hard work, why don't you stay for breakfast?" I ask, starting the oven and getting out ingredients for omelets.

"Sure…" He sees that I'm the one cooking and asks why.

-Kirin-nii and Rei are both gone until later today. I hope you don't mind."\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Saa… I was just curious is all. Is Rei the one who makes your bentos?"

"Hai. She makes food a lot better than I do, but I manage not to starve."

We both laugh and he stands up to sit down at the counter instead of the couch.

"Would you mind if I took a quick shower? I think I have papier-mâché stuck in my hair from last night."

I chuckle. "Sure, it's down that hall and the last door on the right. These should be done in about ten minutes. Any specific requests?"

"Hmm… just eggs, bacon, cheese, and peppers would be good."

I nod and turn back to cooking as he walks away.

Fuji forgets which door I said it was and unknowingly opens the lat door on the left; my room. He notes how it looks more colorful and brighter than the usual guy's room. There are posters of tennis players and moves everywhere, as well as photos of various places around the world. The layout of the room is simple and a bit cluttered, like the usual guy's room too. The only difference is that instead of a standard bed, it's a queen; a little odd, but nothing too out of the ordinary.

While perusing my room, he decides that it'd probably be okay if he borrowed some clothes to wear after the shower. He takes a light blue collared short sleeved shirt and a pair of beige shorts. Walking out of the room he calls out to me.

"Where are the towels, Kinta-kun?"

"The door next to the bathroom."

He opens it and grabs a single white towel. Pushing the door ajar next to it, he walks in and starts the shower. I hear the water turn off a few minutes later, just when the omelets finish.

"Shusuke, the omelets are-"

The bathroom door opens and Fuji walks out wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist. I quickly turn to face the stove to hide my blush from the fact that he looks so hot with his hair soaked, toned body littered with droplets of water, blue eyes alert, smile plastered on his face, and-

'Kita! Stop thinking of Fuji like that! Act like a guy and don't worry about how sexy he looks! Remember the plan: school, tennis, and friends. Boys are for later.'

I really want to steal a quick peek at him one last time, but the plan keeps me from doing so. The plan is what's allowing me to go to school, play tennis, make friends, and get into the Pros. College is there too, but I don't know what I even want to do yet, aside from playing tennis.

"Ah, gomen, I meant to ask you if it's alright to borrow some clothes. However, you wear a smaller pants size than me."

I blink and my face nearly becomes beat red. Still turned away from him I mutter something about borrowing Kirin's clothes and that his room is in the other hall.

He caught it. "Arigatou!"

Once I heard the door squeak open from Kirin's room, I turn to the sink and splash some cold water onto my hot face.

"Get a hold of yourself, Kita! He's your friend." I mutter, but think 'a hot friend'.

Shaking my head, I grab the two plates of omelets and set them down on the counter. Getting two glasses out of the cupboard, I open the fridge and take the orange juice out to pour us both some. When I put everything away, I hear footsteps and turn to see a fully-dressed Fuji wearing my blue shirt and Kirin's beige pants. The pants keep slipping as he walks, even with the belt around his waist, so I could see the dark blue hem of his boxers every now and then.

I hold back the blush threatening to creep up my face. "Mmm… smells good Kinta-kun."

"Thanks, Shusuke." I sit down next to him, uttering a small 'itadakimasu' before digging in.

Halfway through the meal Fuji looks at me for a moment.

"You eat like a girl."

I nearly choke. "N-nani!"

He chuckles. "It's not a bad thing. It's just that you look so concerned that you don't get anything on yourself or make a mess. I don't mind."

I chuckle awkwardly, but then he asks a strange question.

"Why do you always call me Shusuke?"

I blink and put down my fork. Facing him, I deny it blatantly.

"You really do." I look at him skeptically, trying to detect any hint of teasing.

"Shusuke, I do not!" I deny loudly, stuffing a piece of omelet into my mouth.

"Ahh, just did!"

For a second time, I nearly choke. "G-gomen!" I apologize, realizing that I really did just call him that. "I didn't even know that I was doing it! I don't even remember when I started to either. In my head I call you Fuji, but-"

"It's alright, Kinta-kun. I don't-"

"No! I shouldn't call you Shusuke, Shu- Fuji! Gomen!"

He laughs, eyes open. "Really, I kind of like it. At first, I was angry, but now that it's been nearly half of the first semester and I've gotten to know you better, I'm okay with it."

I frown. "I don't think we really know that much about each other, do we?"

"Saa… probably not, but it feels like it."

True, I do feel different around Fuji than anyone else. I just thought it was because he's been so sadistic towards me lately.

"Well, why don't try?" I ask, really wanting to give it a go.

"Maa… let's wait until after the district tournament."

I frown. "That's not fair. How do I know that you won't forget?"

"Well, then let's make a deal." Fuji's smile turns into a smirk, so I become wary.

"Like what?"

"If I lose my match, I'll tell you. If you lose your match, you'll tell me."

"What happens if we win?"

"If either of us wins, then we tell. If one wins and the other doesn't, then only one tells."

I look at him skeptically, but Fuji _is_ one to keep his word; today proved it.

"Fine, deal."

We spend the next hour looking over the project to make sure that everything is accurate and correct. Fuji says that he has to go home since he didn't tell anyone that he wasn't staying out. At about eleven he leaves, so I take the opportunity to change clothes and clean up the project mess.

I slip into my room and put on a dark red shirt and white shorts. I see the beige shorts that Fuji couldn't fit into lying on my bed. I blush when I think of him walking out in just a towel and even harder when I remember that he's wearing my shirt.

Sometimes it sucks to be a girl.

Putting my shorts away, I finish cleaning my room by sorting out all the dirty clothes to be washed later and clear off my bed. I sit on it, recalling the past weeks. It doesn't seem like it's been almost two months, but it has. The district tournament is coming up and Saturday, then finals two weeks after that, and then summer vacation for a little more than a month after that.

I've heard about training camps being scheduled for a couple of weeks during the vacation, but nothing's been set in stone. Worrying about whether or not I can get away with being a girl won't do me any good. The best thing to do is to do my best and not get caught, especially by Fuji. I'm not sure how he'd take it.

Meanwhile, at the Fuji household, Fuji Shusuke walks into his house to see that… no one is home. He looks around the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms, but there's no sign of anyone having been home after he left last night. Checking the phone, he sees that there aren't any messages.

Sighing, he throws himself onto the bed face first. It's been like this for awhile, but it still gets to him. Yuuta is at a boarding high school somewhere away from him, Yumiko has gotten married and moved out, Kaa-san spends every moment with Yumiko or at her part-time job, and otou-san… Well, he hasn't been around for most of Fuji's life. The few times he had been were to tell him that he wasn't good enough to bear the family name or disapprove of his life choices, especially tennis.

Everything in Fuji Shusuke's life is either wrong or going wrong. The only good things that have happened to him were joining the tennis team in middle school, taking up photography, and meeting Sato Kinta. Everything else, from the neglect of his father and betrayal of his childhood best friend to Yuuta abhorring him and everyone forgetting about him, it seems like he can't do anything right.

A chime comes from Fuji's pocket and he picks it up to see that it's from his okaa-san.

_Shusuke,_

_ Spent the night at Yumiko's but I'm sure you're fine. Won't be home again tonight. Use the credit card I gave you to get take-out._

A growl escapes his throat when he realizes that he'll be alone once again. It was better last night when he at least knew Kinta was nearby. He even cared enough to make breakfast. Fuji feels envious of Kinta, but there's little time to dote on that since the front door opens.

"I'm home." A muffled, low voice says.

Immediately Fuji knows exactly who it is. A smile creeps up his face, but the envy is still present in his heart. He knows how much Yuuta hate it when he tries to act like a normal big brother. It bothers Yuuta, because he feels so overshadowed by him. Though the feeling as lessened considerably, Fuji wants more than anything to be close to him. Knowing that it'll probably drive him away, Fuji stays in his room just watching the ceiling fan whirl.

"Aniki?" A voice calls as footsteps are heard climbing up the stairs.

"Hai, Yuuta."

Yuuta opens the door to Fuji's room and frowns when he sees him still lying on the bed, just staring at the fan. Even his estranged brother can tell that something's bothering him. Why else would he be quietly lying there instead of glomping all over his favorite brother?

"What's up?" Yuuta tries to act casual, in case his sadistic brother is trying to pull some kind of trick on him.

"Just thinking about everything I guess."

Yuuta blinks, surprised that Fuji actually responded with an almost straight answer.

"Everything, like…" He presses, a frown visible on his face, but eyes skeptic.

"Mostly about family, tennis, and my new friend."

Yuuta is frozen to the spot. His brother _never_ acts like this. EVER. Something big has to be going on, and no matter how he looks at it, it's his duty to find out; regardless if it's something he wants to know or not.

"Shusuke," he says, making said boy sit up and look at him curiously. Yuuta rarely ever uses his first name. "What the hell is going on?" 

Blunt and to the point. Politeness is _not_ one of the boy's strong points.

"What do you mean Yuuta? I already told you." Fuji asks, concerned for his brother's behavior. He has long since learned that Yuuta is his own person and he should keep his space. Though, with Fuji being who he is, he has a hard time with it. Except for today at least.

"Like hell you did!"

"Language, Yuuta."

"No!" He yells back, pushing himself off of the doorframe of Fuji's room and standing to his full height of six feet. "I'm tired of the game aniki. I hardly know who you are anymore."

"The same can be said of you, otouto."

Yuuta frowns. "How so? I'm not the one acting all out of character and secretive."

"Well, you _are _the one who can't stand to be around me in public. You _are _the one who's ashamed of me, won't even come home often to even be _near_ me, or even talk to me like a normal person! Do you know what it's like without you here? Kaa-san doesn't even come home anymore unless you're coming. Otherwise she's either at work or with Yumiko and Daisuke. Do you know how _that_ feels when you come home and no one even cares to tell you that you'll be alone?"

Fuji's eyes are open and flashing a menacing blue at Yuuta. Everything that's been pent up is now coming out. Somehow, it just seemed like the right time, since someone has _finally_ given a damn about him.

"Aniki, I-"

"Don't, Yuuta, I know what you think of me and I'm sorry that my very name makes your life hell."

Yuuta grows visibly tenser and his become shaded.

"Why have you never said anything until now?"

A silent moment passes by before Fuji responds. "Maybe because I had friends who cared, but when I stopped caring about them it all became more messed up."

Fuji finally looks at his brother. "I finally found a new best friend, Yuuta." He cracks a weak smile. "I think that I finally can let go of some things and start to be better."

Yuuta can only stare at his brother, wanting to tell him everything he's been holding in.

"Shusuke, I don't hate you and I never did. I was always envious of you and being compared to you every day only made it worse. Now that I see that I could've done it differently… I'm sorry. Not about transferring schools, but that I blamed you for it. It's not your fault."

Yuuta turns to leave. "I only came back to get a pair of shoes I left, so I'm not staying, but aniki… we may never be like we once were, but it'll be better. And whoever it is that's making this change in you, tell them thank you."

When he walks out the door and shuts it, Yuuta says quietly "I like this you better."

On the other side of the door, Fuji Shusuke's chest feels lighter. Not everything has change, but at least it's something. Maybe… maybe he let himself fall this far to see just how much work he needs to do.

Smiling, Fuji runs out of his room to catch Yuuta at the front door. He throws his arms around him in a tight hug.

"So, now that's going better, I think I'll continue with the traditional welcome home hug."

Yuuta groans. "Ugg… Aniki!" However, there's that small smile that wasn't there before.

Back at the Sato residence, I open the door to see Rei with her hands full of groceries.

"You went shopping? I thought that it was a business trip."

She laughs. "I figured that you would've eaten everything in sight."

I pout. "Not _everything_. So, how'd it go?"

"Not important, so what'd you do while we were gone this time?"

"I went to practice yesterday, chewed out Shusuke, got my regular's jersey, warm-ups, and the bag's coming soon. Then, I came home angry, worked on my history/English project, fell asleep, and Fuji came to finish it. So, he spent the night, I made breakfast, and he left about… four hours ago."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Hmm…. Oh! He borrowed a pair of Kirin-nii's pants."

Rei's eyes shift and a small smirk forms on her face. "Kita-chan~ you had a boy spend the night and shower while you both were alone!"

I blush, recalling the pleasant and fresh memory of Fuji in a towel. She squeals.

"No! Nothing like that happened!" She gives me the 'I-don't-think-so' look and I sigh.

"He thinks I'm a _boy_ remember?" Her smile falls. "Even if I did like him, there's nothing I could do. I'm only there for tennis, school, and friends. Love life is for later. Besides, he probably wouldn't like the girl-version of me anyways."

Rei sighs. "Kita, you're still you! All you're doing is putting on boy clothes, a boy attitude, and that's it! The personality is all you."

I scowl in defeat. "I guess you're right, but he won't ever find out anyways."

Rei gives me a knowing smile that I choose to ignore.

"Oh, and you only have school and tennis, because if I recall correctly, the only people you hang out with are from the tennis team!"

I roll my eyes and walk to my room, yelling back, "That's only because either the other guys are jealous or the girls like me!"

I hear her laugh as I close my door and lock it, so Kirin-nii can't barge in and pour cold water on my head. He did that once, so he could see if I'd actually do anything. Jerk.


	11. District Preliminary

The week goes by quickly and I hardly notice it. The reason being is that buchou has all of the regulars training our asses off. Whether it's needed or not, we'll find out today, because it's the Tokyo district tournament and I'm pumped.

In two week is finals week and after that is a little more than a month of vacation. Buchou said Friday that he'll announce the schedule for the two training camps being held during the summer this coming Friday.

Since it's only 5 am and the tournament is only a half hour away by train, I take a moment to reflect how awesome this week has been. Fuji has been visibly less stressed and more social than I've ever seen him. Classes have definitely been boring, but there's a rumor going around that after summer vacation is over there's going to be a contest to see how can raise the most money for the school to win a vacation for their club during winter break. The location is unknown but I bet it's sunny.

Aside from all of that, I haven't lost a single match to anyone. Every time Fuji and I play we tie, so the lineup was planned accordingly:

Doubles 2: Kaidou-Inui pair

Doubles 1: Golden pair

Singles 3: Buchou

Singles 2: Me

Singles 1: Fuji

Alternate: Momo

I do feel for Momo, because he drew the short stick for sitting out. He is a regular, but his play has evolved immensely. Ultimately, we all drew for spots and luck just wasn't on his side. No matter what though, buchou said that I would be playing since no one outside of the school has seen me play, because I never entered _any_ tournaments, so I'd be the ace in the hole.

All we need are 3 wins to be entered into the Tokyo preliminary that's coming up a week after summer vacation. That's why we're having two week-long training camps. I asked Eiji and Oishi where the camps are, but they wouldn't tell me. Even Fuji had the mischievous glint in his eyes when I had asked him. Finally I just gave up.

I check the clock to see that only fifteen minutes have past. I groan, because the train doesn't leave until 6:30 and registration isn't until 8, I decide to go down and get breakfast. When I get there, no one is up. In fact the house is eerily quiet. On the fridge is a large red sticky note.

Gee… how could I miss it?

_Dear Kita,_

_ We had to leave on emergency business early this morning. A client from my firm is suing Kirin's company for a miscommunication and we both have to be present for court. Sorry that we can't make it to your first tournament, but we know you'll be great!_

**Not even great! You'll blow them out of the water! You'll-**

The thicker scrawl seemingly gets cut off and I laugh.

_Anyways, I bought donuts, but be careful not to eat too many. You know that too many sweets make you tired._

I roll my eyes.

_Love, Rei _**and Kirin!**

Those two really are perfect for each other. I take the milk jug out of the fridge and pour myself a small glass of milk. I check the large white box on the counter to see that it's full of donut holes. Chocolate, glazed, strawberry, and cinnamon holes fill the entire box. My mouth starts to water and I dig into the large box of fifty-or-so assorted donut holes.

I don't stop to check how many I've eaten until my stomach feels full. However, by that time I realize that I've eaten half of the box. I down my glass of milk and feel sleepy. Checking the clock, I see that I have about a half hour until Fuji comes to get me so we can both head to the train station. Therefore, I decide to take a nap since I'm already to go.

However, I didn't heed Rei's warning, so when I wake up to see that the time says '6:20' I text Fuji to ask him why he didn't stop by to get me.

**Fuji: You didn't answer, so I assumed that you had gone ahead without me. Gomen.**

_Me: -_-# Really? I have 20 minutes to get to the station._

**Fuji: 19 now. Better hurry.**

_Me: Ass._

**Fuji: Possibly, but you have 18 now since you won't stop texting me.**

I decide to not reply to that. After grabbing my tennis bag, pulling on my shoes, and locking the door, I race to the train station that's a twenty minute walk. I'm able to run it in 10 minutes usually, but I hit a series of lights that wouldn't change so I couldn't walk across.

Finally arriving at the train station, I have two minutes to find my train and get on. However, a problem arrives when I can't remember which train it is. I try to look for any Kuragaku students, but can't find any.

I'm about to call Fuji when I see a guy with white hair in a in a low pony tail carrying a tennis bag walk past me. I grab his shoulder to get his attention.

"Hmm?"

"You're going to the district tournament, right?"

"Ah."

"Which train do I take?"

"This one." He says as he steps onto the train on my right.

"Ahh, arigatou! I owe you one for sure." I say, but when I turn around to find him he was gone. How strange.

The train starts to move, so I text Fuji to tell him that I got on.

**Fuji: Ahh? I don't see you. Which compartment are you in?**

I look around until I see the letter B with the number 3.

**Fuji: Eh? Are you sure? That's the one I'm in.**

I frown. _Me: Of course I'm sure. I asked a guy who had a tennis bag with him which train to take._

Fuji's reply is slow. **Fuji: Kinta… when you entered the platform, which train did you get on?**

_ Me: The right one of course! It's the one that goes to the main part of Tokyo, since we live so far away on the outskirts. Why?_

**Fuji: The left one goes to downtown Tokyo.**

That makes me nervous. _Me: Then where does the one I'm on go to?_

**Fuji: … Kanagawa**

I blink. _Me: EH!_

**Fuji: Did the guy have long white hair?**

_Me: Yeah… it was in a pony tail. How do you know that?_

**Fuji: You were just tricked by the trickster. Now, don't freak, but you're not going to make it to the opening registration.**

_Me: How far am I away from it when I get off?_

**Fuji: About 30 minutes by train. Let me know when the next available ride is and I'll let buchou know.**

_Me: Hai. I'll let you know in fifteen. Thanks Shusuke._

I wait impatiently for the train to arrive to the destination I didn't want to be in. Hurrying off of it as soon as I could, I run up to the schedule of trains.

Destination: Downtown Tokyo, arrives in ten minutes, departs in fifteen.

I nearly jump for joy. I will be able to make it on time! A white blur passes me and I recognize it as the guy who told me to get on the wrong train.

"Oi! Whitey-chan!" I call out, since he walks much faster than I do.

He turns around. "Eh? Me?"

I scowl. "Of course you, bastard! You gave me the wrong train."

He looks confused. "No I didn't."

"Yes, you did! I asked which train would take me to the Tokyo district tournament."

"No, no you didn't." I start to visibly get angry. "You asked which one takes you to the tennis tournament and this one did. Only you didn't specify, because the Kanagawa tournament is also today."

I eye him suspiciously. "You have district preliminaries before the actual prefecture; we don't." He explains, before turning to walk off. "Good luck with getting there!" He calls back.

Frowning, I turn to face the board again only to see that the train had been delayed for an hour.

"Uggg!" I yell in frustration, making everyone turn and stare at me. I ignore it and start heading down the street to find an information booth. Texting Fuji along the way I ask him how much time I have left.

**Fuji: Not too much. About a half hour.**

I want to kick myself in the ass for getting so worked up at that guy. I never even got his name! It doesn't matter now, but looking at the map I just picked up from the booth it looks like it'll take me fifty minutes to get there on foot. Hoping that I can run fast enough and not get lost, I take off.

I find Fuji waiting by the gate when I arrive with a worried expression on his face.

"What happened?"

"Well, I started running as fast as possible, but then this kid ran out into the street after a ball, so of course a speeding semi comes at him. Me, being the only one who notices, rescues the kid and has everyone glomping me as I try to get away. Then some nosy reporter tries to get in my face about the whole ordeal. I explain that I have a tournament to get to and take off."

Fuji looks at me with a surprised expression.

"Shusuke, I got lost."

He smirks knowingly. "You would, wouldn't you, even with a map."

"Yeah… so how late am I exactly?"

He grimaces. "You had to be placed as the alternate since you weren't here. Late by ten minutes."

I groan. "I _knew_ I shouldn't have tried to cut through a side street in the housing district."

Fuji laughs. "It's alright. Momo's excited to play and you'll still be our ace in the hole."

I roll my eyes. "Thanks. Well, when does our first match start?"

"In about fifteen minutes, so let's head over."

As we walk over I ask who that "trickster" guy is.

"He's an old foe from Rikkai Dai; I beat him in the nationals. His name is Masaharu Niou, but don't be fooled by his appearance, he's a real menace."

Nodding, I lock the information away for later. Reaching the court that we're designated to, I can hear Momo and Kaidou already arguing.

"Momo! Kaidou!" I yell, making them both freeze.

"Maa maa, Kinta-sempai, we thought that you were buchou!"

I look at him skeptically. "Oh, so you think that he's going to beat you worse than I will?"

Kaidou looks away, worried about what I'd do, while Momo keeps at it.

"Come on, Sempai, it's the first tournament and-"

I glare menacingly at him. "Exactly, Momo, it's the first tournament and you have my spot, so act like you're me and deserve to be here."

"H-hai! Hai sempai!"

I smile my regular smile and pull out my sunglasses form my bag. "Good, now you two want to warm-up?"

They both look at me. "EH!"

Grabbing my racket and the back of their shirts, I drag them out on the empty courts to do some two-on-one training. I plan to only use my speed techniques, so that they could warm up their muscles and lungs.

While on the court, I hear some middle school kid call out to Momo.

"Momo-sempai!"

"Oi! Echizen!" Seeing that Momo walked over to talk to him, I let Kadiou have five more minutes to himself before his match with Inui starts.

"Hey." I say as I walk past them.

He nods in my direction, but as soon as he thinks I'm out of range, he asks Momo, "Why is there a girl on your team?"

"EH!" Is the response audibly heard by everyone in range. I flush slightly, but keep my cool.

"Sato!" Buchou calls me. "You know why…"

"Hai Hai, no worries. Next tournament I'll crush them." I smirk, walking over to the bleachers where the rest of the team and coach sit. He laughs and follows me over.

_Attention: Court 12 will now begin their match._

Smiling, I watch as my teammates, one-by-one take on players from Hyotin Gakuen; the high school component of Hyotei. No one looks inexplicably strong except for the captain and the large, dark-skinned guy next to him.

"That's Atobe, if you're wondering. The guy next to him is Kabaji. A couple of the other players are from Hyotei as well, but there are some I've never seen before. We'll probably beat them, but it'll have to be before singles 2." Oishi whispers beside me, noticing me checking out the other team.

"Are they that good?" I ask.

Oishi shrugs. "Depends on how you look at it. They are, but we've grown as well."

"We'll definitely win, nya!"

"Let's go Hoytin! Who's gonna win? Hyotin!" The large crowd on the other side cheers.

"Ah, shouldn't get your hopes up too high, you shouldn't." Momo yells back.

We all chuckle and watch as the first match begins. The game doesn't last long though, because Inui is trying to collect data on a player he's never seen before. That leaves Kaidou trying to take on the two alone. When Inui finally gets enough data, the game is nearly over. We lose 3-6.

"Fushuu." Kaidou hisses angrily.

"Kaidou!" I yell and clap him on the shoulder. "Those were some great plays out there! I'm impressed." When I smile at him, I can see a hint of a blush as he slouches and walks away to sit by Inui.

"Oh? Scared Kaidou off, did you?" Fuji teases.

I frown and turn to watch the Golden pair work their magic. This game doesn't last long too, since they just dominate the Hyotin team. When I see them glowing gold about ¾ of the way through after they lost two consecutive sets, I ask Fuji what's happening.

"Saa, that's synchro."

"Synchro? As in-" I gesture with my hands telepathy.

He chuckles. "Hai, only even better."

"Oh… I wish I could play doubles."

"What do you mean? You've had to at least tried it once right?"

"Nope. Aniki could never find a suitable partner for me, so I always practiced alone. Looks like fun though, but I bet I wouldn't be too good at it."

Before Fuji can reply the crowd on Kuragaku's side stands up and starts a deafening cheer. We stand up as well and glomp Eiji and Oishi as the come back to the stands. The kid, Echizen, says congrats too, and Eiji starts climbing on his tall, slim form. He starts yelling spastically about how o'chibi has to still be o'chibi even if he's grown tall and older.

Oishi, who's nearby, starts laughing and pulling Eiji off of Echizen. Momo walks by and ruffles up Echizen's hair and hat, saying that he should always support his sempais. He replies back that he can't stay for too much longer since his second game will be starting in an hour and as captain he has to be there.

"Buchou!" Momo yells, since he was about to walk onto the court as well. "I thought I was playing for Kinta-sempai?"

Monomi-buchou turns and sifts his hand through his scraggly hair. "No, I'm playing singles three. Sato-san was scheduled for singles two."

Momo's eyes bug out. "EH! Well, uh, you can't lose buchou! You can't lose."

Buchou smirks and turns back to his opponent. It's the big guy, Kabaji, who looks like he could break buchou in a heartbeat.

"Your captain is singles three? Hahaha!" A voice from Hyotin's side rings out.

Simultaneously, Momo, Kaidou, and I stand up and yell "You want to say that to our faces, punk?"

The voice abruptly stops laughing, probably because he just pissed his pants.

"Don't worry guys," Monomi-buchou says from his service line, about to serve. "The only reason I'm singles three is because my two kouhai's are the only ones who can beat me."

The crowd around both sides of the court diminishes into silence. Everyone on our side looks at me and Fuji, since the only reason Momo has my spot is because I was late getting here. I glare silently at Fuji.

"What does he mean by that?"

"Eheheh… Saa, well, I'm the only one to have beaten Monomi-buchou. Since we've never even finished a game because of the close ties, that makes you number two."

I can't even blink at him. Words won't even form. The moment I can look away from him is when the crowd starts cheering like crazy. Watching Monomi-buchou play, I realize that he's hardly moved. In fact, the ball keeps coming straight toward him.

"Shusuke, that's-"

"Ah… but for as long as I've seen it I know it as Tezuka Zone."

I want to ask him about Tezuka and why it's called that, but buchou starts to move when I open my mouth. Turning to watch the game finish, I see that he's starting to use more flexible moves, like Eiji. I can see how he's a combination of Eiji and this Tezuka person. Where Monomi plays an acrobatic style at times, the other times, like Tezuka Zone, he must be like Tezuka.

Kami, my buchou is awesome!

The giant guy, Kabaji, has a hard time copying his moves and ends up losing the match 4-6. Well all cheer for buchou and our team, since we've just won the three required games out of the five. That Atobe guy looks pretty pissed with his team. He looks up from his glare and turns his head towards me. His eyes are intense and it looks as if he's trying to see through something. Luckily though, I'm pulled away by Eiji.

"Kinta-chi! Come eat lunch with us!" He says, gesturing wildly to himself, Oishi, and Fuji. I'm about to say yes when I feel someone grabbing onto my other arm.

"Mou… Kikumaru-san! Don't hog Kinta-sama. Come eat lunch with us!" A girl I vaguely recognize demands while three more attach themselves to me.

"Come on, Kinta-sama! I know a great restaurant! It'll be our treat." Another one coaxes me, batting her eyelashes. I nearly groan and my stomach begins to flip flop. However, my stomach then betrays me by letting out a loud rumble.

"Kya! How cute! He's worked up such an appetite from cheering!" A third one says from around my waist. Oh boy, if only they knew that I'm actually a girl. This is so embarrassing! I look to Fuji, Eiji, and Oishi for help, but they're snickering their asses off.

In the distance, a loud "Kya! The Golden Pair and Fuji!" could be heard before a rampage begins. Said boys turn stark white before high-tailing it out of the area. Such sweet friends huh? Especially since they forgot me!

Without any one to save me and my hungry stomach, I let the four girls lead me to a restaurant for my hour lunch break. When we return nearly an hour later, I'm about ready to fall over from exhaustion. Seriously, would these girls ever shut up? I'm not even hot, much less a hot guy! I don't what you think of me and my tennis skills, since you know next to nothing about playing anyways! Or at least, that's what I want to scream at them.

"Kinta-kun! It's almost time for the second game, so will you help me with something?"

Thank Kami! Fuji to the rescue!

"Sorry girls, but I'm needed elsewhere." I hardly need to shake them off before they all melt into a puddle. Was it something I said?

"Thanks Shusuke, I owe you one."

He chuckles. "Never dealt with fan girls before?"

I look at him strangely. "Are you kidding me? All they go on about are my looks, which aren't anything special anyway, my tennis, which they know nothing about, and random stupid stuff! Seriously, how do you deal with it?"

"Honestly? I hide."

I want to smack him upside the head for getting my hopes up. Still, I follow him back to the courts we were just at to see who we're up against next. It's some school called Juugo. They didn't look like much and we got what we expected.

With the same lineup as before, we crushed them with our scores being 6-2, 6-1, and 6-0. Seriously, I don't think that they stand a chance against anyone here. The only credit I give them is for showing up and trying their hardest. Though it's not enough to get into the Tokyo Preliminaries, it'll hopefully be good motivation.

"Oi! Fuji-sempai, Kinta-sempai!" Momo calls out to us as we're walking away from the tournament site. "Want to meet at Kawamura's at six?"

Checking the time on my phone I see that it's almost four. Plenty of time to get home and change. "I'm down for it, you?" I ask Fuji.

"Mmm."

"See you there, Momo-kun!" I yell back, waving as we continue to make our way to the train station.

After successfully arriving back home, Fuji asks if I just want to meet him at his house when I'm done since he has something he needs to do that might take awhile. I agree, see him off to his house so that I'll know where to go later, and head back home.

Upon arriving, I see that no one is home still. There are no missed calls, notes, or anything. I take it that the court hadn't settles on anything yet, so they'll be gone another weekend. I quickly write a note on the fridge for Rei, just in case they do come back home and I'm not here.

Walking into my room, I grab a pair of dark jeans, a black loose shirt, and boxers and head into the bathroom with a towel. The shower is cold, so it feels nice against my hot skin. Hurrying along, so I won't be late to dinner, I wash my hair and body as fast as possible and towel-dry my hair. Pulling on my clothes, I step out into the air conditioned house, and grab my wallet before putting on my white tennis shoes and heading out to Fuji's.

When I get there, I see a car that wasn't there before. Knocking on the door, a woman answers. She's tall, with brown hair like Fuji's, and a beautiful face.

"Oh, are you here for Shusuke?"

"Hai, he said to drop by so he can show me where Kawamura's sushi shop is."

She grins down at me. "How nice of him. I didn't know that he has such a cute girlfriend."


	12. Kawamura's

"Girlfriend!" I manage to sputter out.

She frowns and looks confused. "You're not his girlfriend?"

I shake my head, eyes wide, and heart still pounding against my ribcage. "No! I'm a boy." I stress.

She giggles softly. "Oh, so he doesn't know you're a girl." I stand still, frozen in my spot. This woman is exactly like Fuji, only she sees what he doesn't want to. She's too young to be his mom, so I guess it's probably his sister.

"H-hai." I stutter softly.

She bends over and ruffles my hair a bit. "Don't worry, I won't tell him."

I look up, about to say thank you. "-yet." I start shaking again. That sadistic gene must run in the family.

"I will though if you don't tell him by the beginning of the school year. Poor Shusuke's been in such a tight spot and you're already bringing him back to his old self. I'm sure you have your reasons but-"

Oh no, the dreadful 'but'. She leans down close to my face and puts on an evil grin.

"You do anything to ruin this for him and I'll tell _everyone_ exactly what you are."

I gulp. "H-hai."

She stands back up, smiling. "Good, now what's your name? I'm afraid I forgot to ask."

"Sato Kita." I say quietly.

She laughs. "No, no, the other one I have to call you while around everyone else."

I nearly blush from embarrassment. "Sato Kinta."

"Hmm… Not a big difference, but it's for the best I suppose. You two will be lovely together!"

As she walks back into the house to call for Fuji, I can't help but space-out. She just said that Fuji and I… Will be… Together! No, no, that won't happen. I'm sure of it, because he doesn't see me that way. At all. Never! I don't know why he hasn't caught on to the fact that I'm a girl yet, but with everything's that has happened so far I shouldn't push my luck.

"Kinta!" A voice yells into my ear.

I jump a little bit. "Wha-? Oh, Shusuke. Gomen."

"Sorry that I took so long." I shrug, saying that it's not a problem. We walk down the sidewalk, a little further away from the house when he asks something totally unexpected.

"So, do you have a crush on Yumiko?" Fuji doesn't want the answer to be yes. He silently hopes that I would have a reasonable excuse for standing there, gaping at her when he came outside.

I blink. "Eh? Who are you talking about?" Fuji blinks, unsure if I really don't know who he's talking about.

"My nee-san, Yumiko, is the one you just met."

"Oh, her. Of course not." I say easily, since I'm completely straight.

He looks at me from the corner of his eye. "So, do you think she's pretty?"

Damn, now either way I'm screwed. "Well, yeah, anyone can see that. Doesn't mean I like her though."

"Good, because she just got married."

I blink, surprised at how fast he got that information out there. "Yeah, you told me before. So, what's she doing at your house?"

Fuji, feeling slightly embarrassed at how he's acting, tries to redeem himself. "Her kitchen is being remodeled and she wanted to make pumpkin curry for Yuuta, so she dropped by."

"Ah. So, who's Yuuta? Her husband?" I ask, not recalling his brother's name or his brother-in-law's.

He chuckles for a little bit. "Oh no, Yuuta is my otouto. He attends Rudolph high, the counterpart to St. Rudolph middle, where they have dorms."

"Oh, so why didn't we see him at the tournament?"

He shrugs. "Different blocks for competition. We should see him during the Tokyo Prefectural."

"Mmm."

We suddenly stop walking and I look up to see a huge sign that says 'KAWAMURA SUSHI'. This must be the place since Fuji is sliding open the traditional Japanese door. Looking around, I see that everyone's already here, including some people I've never seen before.

"Ah! Sempai-tachi, you made it!" Momo yells.

"Fushuu… baka, don't be so loud." Kaidou hisses from across the table.

"EH! You wanna go mamushi?"

"Think you can take me peach-head?"

"Oi! No sushi for you if you keep that up!" Taka-san yells from behind the counter.

"Yo, Taka-san, any wasabi sushi for me?" Fuji asks politely.

"Of course! What do you like, Kinta-san?" He asks, addressing me.

"Eh… spicy tuna and ebi are my favorites."

"Hoi Hoi! Kinta-chi, Fujiko! Over here!" Eiji waves wildly, nearly knocking the steaming cup of tea from Oishi's hands.

"Hai hai," Fuji calls back. "Let's go, Kinta-kun."

We sit down and exchange pleasantries for a bit before I ask who all of these other people are.

"Oh, that's right, Kinta-chi didn't attend Seigaku with us, nya!" Eiji says in a loud exuberant manner.

"Well, I think you met Echizen Royma, right?" Oishi asks.

"Hai, he's the tall, arrogant one next to Momo, right?"

Fuji laughs. "Nailed it, didn't you? Well, those two girls next to him are Ryuzaki Sakuno and Osakada Tomoka. They're obsessed with Ryoma."

I chuckle. "So, are those three boys sitting across from them his support group then?"

"Sort of," Oishi says. "They're his friends, you could say."

"Hai, Horio Satoshi, Kato Kachirou, and Mizuno Katsuo." Fuji explains, pointing to each boy in turn.

"Ah, great. So when are we going to eat?" I ask, my tummy rumbling quietly.

"Right now!" Taka-san says, handing out copious trays of sushi.

"GREAT-O! EAT UP, BABY!" He says as he throws down a tray in front of me. My eyes bulge as I see just how much sushi he put on my plate.

"Maa if you can't eat all of it, I'll help you." Fuji says politely.

"Ah… thanks."

We eat and talk for quite awhile before someone suggests that we play spinner.

"Eh? What's that?" I ask Oishi, unfamiliar with the game.

"Basically, you have a bottle and one person spins it. Whoever it lands on, you get to ask a question to him or make him do something."

"If the person refuses to answer or do the request, then he drinks my new concoction: Super Rainbow Deluxe Inui Juice. Three times as much nutrients with twice the rainbow flavor." Inui proclaims loudly, with his creepy stare and smile.

"Trust me when I say it includes _all_ the flavors, nya!" Eiji whispers into my ear.

I shrug. What could go wrong?

About a half hour into the game, a lot has happened. Momo was grilled about some girl named An, Kaidou had to go out and bring back a picture of himself holding an animal (what a cute expression he had!), Eiji was made to talk proper for an hour (now 45 minutes left), Fuji was asked about his blackmail and currently, it's Ryoma's turn.

"Saa… so have you chosen which girl you're going to ask to the senior dance?" Fuji asks, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Ryoma glares. "Fuji-sempai, how like you." The girls next to help giggle and whisper excessively.

Ryoma sighs. "I'm still deciding, seeing as I have the whole summer to think about it before fall comes."

The two girls next to him erupt in more giggles, blushes, excited whispers, and such. I guess they really like him.

"Kinta-kun." Fuji whispers, interrupting my fantasy about how I would react if I ever found a guy that I liked that much.

"Hmm?"

"It's your turn." He points to the bottle which is indeed pointing directly at me.

"Oh, well, lay it on me Echizen." I grin, turning to face my interrogator.

"Sempai… are you a girl?"

Time must've stood still for hours as I sit frozen stiff on my cushion. The girls stopped whispering and look wide-eyed at Echizen while everyone else gapes at him.

Finally, after a long while, he asks, "Well?"

"Echizen! You can't just accuse someone like that, you can't!" Momo exclaims, holding him in a headlock.

"Fushuu…" Kaidou hisses, glaring at him from across the table.

"Echizen!" Oishi yells. "What's gotten into you?"

"Actually, I'd like to know to." Inui says, notebook and pen at the ready.

"EH!" Everyone yells.

"Why would you say such a thing, Inui?" Eiji whines, trying to keep his language proper.

"There's a 65% chance that Sato-san is indeed a girl."

Everyone turns to stare at me and I shift uncomfortably in me seat.

"Inui-san," I ask, trying to keep my voice level and cool. "What percentage did you think Fuji was a girl when you first saw him?"

"Kinta!" Fuji says loudly, looking at me.

"Just wait."

"About 30%." He answers, consulting his book. Guess I'm more feminine looking than I had presumed.

"How did you find out that he wasn't?"

Just like I had hoped, Inui places a grimace on his face. "I'd rather not go into the details."

I look at Fuji. "I don't want to know what you did, but good job." He smirks back at me.

"Inui, do you really want to go through that experience again? Because I'm sure that it'll be a lot worse this time around." I lower my gaze and send daggers through my eyes. He gets the message and gulps.

"Good, so trust me when I say that I am, for sure, a boy. Do you want to see a birth certificate or something?" I add when I see Ryoma's mouth open.

"Hmph, would make it more believable." I take out my wallet and show him the small copy I had made of my "birth certificate".

"Why do you have a copy of it in your wallet, Kinta-chi?"

I shrug. "Many people assume otherwise. It's not my fault right?"

Spinning the bottle, it stops on Inui.

Grinning, I ask, "So, Inui, I want you to take all of the data you have on me and burn it."

"Eh! NO! It's my precious data!"

"Do it or suffer from the Inui Juice you created." This is something new, seeing Inui panic between his precious data and the very juice he created for our "enhancement".

"I'll drink." In about three seconds, he's out like a light with a rainbow colored tongue falling out of his mouth and smoking.

"Go figure, so who's going to go for Inui?"

"Me! Nya, my hour's up!" I guess torturing someone really does kill time.

"Kinta-chi gets a second turn!" Eiji exclaims. Yep, just my luck.

"Eto… Oh! Why do you never open your eyes?"

"I do open my eyes."

"When! I've never seen them."

I shrug. "Maybe you're not around enough."

Eiji pouts. "Mou… I definitely want to see them! Will you open them now?"

"Nope."

"But-but Kinta!" Eiji whines.

I sigh and roll my eyes. "I'll show you one day, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Yes, Eiji, I promise."

Fuji feels a pang within his chest. He can't help but ask himself why I never promised him that I'd show him my eyes. He's never even seen a picture of me with my eyes open in my house. Maybe he just has to be sneaky.

"It's late, so I think we should go." Sakuno says as she stands up with her friend Tomoka.

"We'll walk you home, right Echizen?" The loud uni-brow kid Horio says, forcing Echizen to stand up.

"Made made dane." He says before walking out ahead of the girls. They squeal and run after them while the other three trail behind him.

Momo laughs. "Yep, he still has a way to go, a way to go."

"Fushuu…" Kaidou says, hissing his 'back-at-you' retort to Momo.

However, Momo doesn't hear it since more sushi is placed in front of him.

"How about we play just a couple more rounds?" Fuji asks.

"I guess its fine, since I can just study for advanced chemistry all day tomorrow." Oishi says, stretching out his legs.

"This time, there'll be no rules since the girls are gone." Fuji adds, sadistic smirk back in its usual place.

"Eh! Fuji-sempai…"

"Inui juice, Momo? Is that what you want?"

"N-no… I'm good!"

"Alright, so I'll start. Oishi, I've been wondering for awhile, why did you come to a tennis school instead of a pre-med school?"

Oishi sweats a little bit. "To be honest, because the school I was going to go into was really far away and I'd miss you guys. Besides, Kuragaku has excellent standards as well as tennis players."

"Ah, so is it all by chance we ended up here?" Fuji looks around as everyone looks somewhere else.

"It is for me!" I exclaim happily. It breaks the ice and everyone laughs. Knowing that no one could stay away from each other brings everyone much closer.

"Though I could do without the Inui juice." I say, glaring at the abomination.

Everyone laughs. "I think we all could." Oishi agrees.

"Hey, it's not that bad." Fuji defends the horrid drink.

"Wait until I get my hands on that legendary Aozu." I smirk at him.

He pales. "How do you know about Aozu?"

"Let's just say that Inui likes getting info any way possible."

"Hey, Eiji-sempai," Momo calls out to Eiji who's in the middle of eating ebi. "I heard that Hikari-san confessed to you. What'd you say?"

"Hoi! I was really excited, but all she talked about was tennis. Mou… no one cares about the real me!" Eiji whines and eats more ebi, even going as far as stealing some of mine.

"But, Eiji-sempai, Hikari-san is very beautiful and likes to cook. Not to mention how popular she is!"

Eiji snickers. "Sounds more like Fujiko's type to me." My chest feels like a hammer is beating on it. How could _that_ be Fuji's type?

Fuji chuckles. "Saa… I like girls that like things _other_ than me, as well as ones that have nice fingers."

"What's with you and fingers, Fuji?" Taka-san asks from behind the counter.

Fuji shrugs and I find myself looking at my hands. I wonder if they're nice looking, but they seem plain to me. Besides, I'm not even pretty anymore since I've started looking like a guy.

"Ne, what about you Kinta-chi?"

"Hmm… I like ones who are good-looking, sophisticated, but like to have fun."

"Mou… that's a lot to ask for Kinta-sempai!" Momo says.

"Oh, then what's your type? An?"

He shuts his mouth and a blush forms on his face.

Kaidou snickers at him.

"Kaidou, is your type one who likes animals and other cute things?" Fuji joins me in teasing the two kouhai.

"F-fushuuuuuu." A blush is also on his face as he looks away from us.

"Ne, Oishi, why isn't buchou here?" I ask, curious as to why he doesn't join us.

"Ah, well, he likes to spend his time with his old tennis buddies who go to other schools now. That and probably because he doesn't know us too well and this is Seigaku's spot."

I nod, since it makes sense that he doesn't want to intrude. "But, what about me?"

"Huh?" Oishi asks, confused.

"Well, I didn't go to Seigaku or know you guys really well, so why do I get to come?"

Everyone laughs for a bit before Taka-san answers. "It's because you fit. Even though you didn't go to Seigaku with us, you're here now and just… fit."

I silently wonder if fitting in means filling the void that Tezuka left.

"Well, I have training in the morning, so I have to go." I say, standing up from my spot.

"Ah, I'll go with you since it's getting late." Fuji says standing up beside me.

"Aww… sempai-tachi!" Momo whines.

"Mou… I just got a text from Kaa-san. Oishi, you spending the night again?"

"Sorry, but I have to study, remember?"

"Alright."

We all walk out and diverge when we get to the street Fuji's house and mine are on.

"See you two in class Monday!" I yell while Fuji waves from beside me.

"Hey, Shusuke?" I ask.

"Mmm?"

"Am I a replacement for Tezuka?"

We walk for a long time before he answers me. We just walk up to the front door of my house when he says, "No, definitely not."

I smile. "Night Shusuke. See you Monday and remember that the project is due Thursday."

"Thanks and I'll remember." He walks away from my house heading to his.

I unlock the door and head into my room, taking the note off from the fridge. Since the lights are still off and there's no car outside, it looks like it'll be another night home alone.

Changing into a pair of black lounge pants and a green shirt, I take out the ice cream that's hidden in the freezer and turn on the television. I don't really pay attention as I eat, since I replay this night's conversation over and over in my head.

I believed Fuji when he said that I wasn't Tezuka's replacement, but I don't think I'll ever fill that void. I don't think any of them want or expect me to either. A lot of things were said and I can't help but wonder what Fuji really thinks of me. Everyone else doesn't seem like they have an opinion, but he's the one I'm closest to. Well, after him there's Eiji and Oishi, but I think that they just like me in general.

So, I guess I'll just leave him be and see where this whole 'best friend' thing takes me. It can't be all bad, right? Well, as long as I don't expose me secret to anyone it should be. There are just two people I need to watch out for:

Fuji Yumiko and Echizen Ryoma.

I finish my ice cream and crawl into bed, falling asleep quickly in the silent house.

In the Fuji household, something strange is brewing.

When Fuji arrives home, he sees that Yumiko is still there, but no one else is.

"Nee-san, weren't you going to go see Yuuta?" Fuji asks.

"Oh, Shusuke, you're home. I already did and I came back to spend time with you."

"That's wonderful, but where's kaa-san?"

"She's visiting some relatives in Hokkaido, I hope you don't mind. She was just worried about you being home alone too much, so I offered to visit you."

Fuji smiles awkwardly. "You didn't have too, you know."

She smiles affectionately. "I know. So, your friend Kinta that I met today…"

"What about him?"

"He's kind of cute."

"Nee-san!"

"Just stating what I saw. Anyways, he's very nice. I'm glad you have a good friend again, Shusuke."

She gets up and walks into the guest room that she's staying in. Fuji can't help but think 'me too'. Some things that were said tonight made him think about his new best friend. Sure, he doesn't know a lot about him, but the compatibility is there. Maybe he was just being too much of a hoarder by wanting no one to ever do something with his best friend that he hasn't done yet; like seeing Kinta's eyes.

Fuji walks upstairs into his room, changes, and lies down on his bed. He doesn't do anything except lie there and wait for sleep to overcome him. For the first night in a little over a year, he feels like he matters to someone.


	13. Camp fun at the pool

Waking up early is never a fun thing to do, especially if said person was out until late at night. Of course, Kirin decides that he's going to make me get up to train. What fun.

"Kita-chan~" Kirin yells before kicking down my door. I quickly scowl at him and hide under the covers.

"Go away!" My voice comes out muffled.

"Tsk, tsk, Kita-chan. If you don't exercise daily you won't keep that figure and attract boys!"

"EH!" I throw my covers over the bed and stare at him.

"Ah, well, probably for the best so I can have you all to myself!"

I scowl at him again. "I can't wait to see what Rei will have."

"Eh? Why?"

I smirk at him. "Well, what if it's a girl?"

"EH!" He starts to freak out. "No boys for her! Ever! She'll be here forever and I'll teach her everything I know!" He then starts to have a freaky laughing fit, so I slowly slip out of the room to find Rei in the kitchen.

"You know you shouldn't tease him like that. A few more months and we'll know for sure!"

I smile at her, knowing that she's very excited to have this baby. In about five months, or mid-December, the baby will arrive and everyone will know if it's a boy or girl.

"Have you thought of names yet?"

She laughs. "A little bit, but I'm hoping it's a girl."

"Why a girl?"

She looks at me. "It's been fun having you, so I want her to be just like you growing up."

I look away to hide my light blush. Really, I don't know why anyone would want to be like me, but I guess I have some good traits then.

"Hopefully she'll be able to survive Kirin's "mature" attitude."

We both laugh, knowing that Kirin will always play the role of 'big brother' or 'sugar daddy', though I suppose he'll grow out of it a little and calm down.

"Well, as it's five a.m. and I'm already up, might as well go with him for the day." Sighing, I heave myself away from the counter I was sitting at and make my way back to the laughing Kirin. Quickly and effortlessly, I push him out of my room and slam the door in his face. Luckily everything's still intact so I can lock him out.

"Kita!" He whines.

"Give me a minute!" I yell back while searching through my clothes. Putting on black basketball shorts, my Kuragaku shirt, socks and tennis shoes, I open the door to only have Kirin fall in.

I look at him skeptically. "If you wanna go, you better get up now." I walk over him, seemingly uncaring, and to the door.

"Later Rei-chan!"

"M-matte!" Kirin yells, pulling on his shoes and hopping after me.

Halfway down the street I see a figure jogging towards me. I'm about to break to cross the street when the person waves at me. Instead, I slow down and wait for him to get closer.

"What are you doing out this early, Shusuke?" I ask him, frowning.

He smiles like usual. "I remembered that you said you trained early and you were going to be out today, so I thought I'd join you. That's okay, right?"

"Of course! I just didn't think you'd be out today, but it doesn't matter."

"Oi! Ki-Kinta, who's this?" Kirin arrives and thankfully catches himself.

"This is Fuji Shusuke, Kirin. Shusuke, this is Kirin-nii."

Kirin gives me a look when I address Fuji by his first name, but I don't notice.

"Nice to meet you." They both say and shake hands.

"He's joining us today, aniki."

He smiles, but it's a sadistic smile. "Great day to pick, Fuji-san."

"A-ah." Fuji agrees warily, while thinking 'how bad could it be'?

**4 hours later**

"That'll be it for today." Kirin says happily as I pant on the ground and Fuji looks as if he's going to die.

"Kirin, did I anger you in some way?" I ask in between pants, wondering why he worked us so much harder today. That's not to say he hasn't before, but it's usually in punishment. But to make Fuji do it too, something must be bothering him.

"Nope, not at all." He says cheerily and I eye him.

"Is it because of her hormones keeping you up all the time you're taking it up with me?"

Fuji looks at me confused, but too tired to say anything as he lies in a pool of sweat on the concrete.

"No, Rei-chan is fine. Although, I do need to pick up some more pickles." He shudders and murmurs "weird pregnancy cravings".

I smile at him, recovering easily. "Rei-chan, Kirin's wife, is four months pregnant and is expecting in December."

"Oh, that must be wonderful. Congratulations." He says, now able to stand.

"Thanks." Kirin replies, eyeing him. I notice this time and nudge him.

"So, breakfast anyone?" I propose.

"Definitely." Fuji says. "But, can we change clothes first?"

I laugh. "Of course! Kirin's paying!"

"Nani!"

I scowl at him. "We trained hard and deserve it! Rei-chan will agree too."

Turning to Fuji, I tell him to meet me at my house when he's done. He nods and walks down the road that leads to his house.

"You could've been nicer to him."

"Hmph! I don't like him."

I frown. "I don't see why not. He's good at tennis, school, he's very nice to you, tries hard, has a sense of humor, and-"

"Okay, okay, I get your point, but I don't like him."

Staring at him a little longer I finally come to a conclusion. "You don't like him because he's a boy!"

"No."

"Yes! Yes, it is! Now, what're you afraid of?"

"I don't like the way he looks at you… possessive."

I snort. "Doubt it. I'm his closest friend and he doesn't even know I'm a girl. Get over it! He'll probably never know anyway, so just leave it alone."

He visibly relaxes. "He doesn't know… which means…" He swoops down and swings me around. "My Kita-chan is safe!"

Getting the wind knocked out of me is one thing, but I haven't eaten yet! "Kirin-nii~" I yell frantically. "Put me down!"

"Ah… gomen."

Wobbling slightly, I walk inside my house and change clothes. When I come back out Fuji is already here and has a pair of pants and shirt in his hands.

"Hi." I greet.

He smiles. "These are from the last time I was here. Thank you for letting me borrow them."

"Ah, no problem! Kirin will be out in a minute and I think Rei-chan went out since the car isn't here, so it'll be just us three."

Fuji nods. "Where will we be going?"

I tell him the name of some restaurant Kirin knows and always takes me to after a hard day of training. Fuji seems like he knows where it is, but I can't really tell. Kirin emerges not too long after and we all head out. The breakfast is uneventful and Fuji has to leave right after. I spend the rest of the day touching-up our project and sleeping.

Really, the next couple of weeks just fly by. We present our project and received a 96%. Practice is lighter than usual for the preparations of exams. Then, exam week itself wasn't too hard, but extremely stressful. Fuji, Eiji, and Oishi spend every night with me studying, so it's a lot of fun.

Buchou tells us on the last day of practice that we'll have two one-week training camps. One will be on the second week of summer and the other one on the last. Fuji tells me about the different camps he's been to and how much fun they are.

Right now, it's nearing the end of the first week of summer vacation and I'm extremely excited for the camp. I just got a call from Oishi, who talked to buchou, and found out that this camp will be in Shizuoka, which is a little south and right on the beach. Evidently, the mountain camp had already been reserved, so the beach camp it is!

However, I do another mini-panic every time I think about the beach. I have to make sure that I have a shirt on at all times and never have my hair up. Blushing, I think about sharing a room with a guy. Somehow, my girlishness seems to come out when I don't want it to.

Still, I pack my tennis shorts, shirts, under-shirts, boxers, lots of socks, a hat, swim trunks, and a towel. In my tennis bag, I make sure I have an extra racket, grip tape, and water bottle. Everything else, like food and such, will be provided. We're staying in a motel-styled building, so not a hotel or cabin, but something with a dining room and actual rooms with showers. Of course, there's a pool and the beach, but that's not really a part of the place itself.

Texting Fuji one last time, I get to bed early to make sure I make the bus at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning.

"Kinta." I grumble and turn on my side.

"Kiiiiintaaa…" I scowl at the sound.

"KINTA!" I nearly scream at the sheer volume of the sound and glare at the person yelling my name.

"Shu-shusuke! What are you doing here?" I yell, clearly not remembering that I told him to come by at seven to make sure that I get up since Rei and Kirin are gone on another business trip.

He looks at me amusedly. "You told me where the extra key was last night, remember?"

I frown, thinking back to last night. "Kind of…" I grumble. He chuckles.

"Well, hurry up and get ready. I'm starving and I know you have donuts."

My eyes light up at word 'donuts'. "Kay, so get out!" He puts his hands up in defense and walks out of the room quietly. I get up and grab the clothes I left out last night and put them on after locking the door. Making sure that I have everything, I haul my stuff out to the door and turn back to the kitchen to get donuts.

"Mmm… glazed." I stuff a donut hole into my mouth and let it disintegrate a little.

"Mmm." Fuji agrees.

After finishing breakfast, we walk down to the school with only a couple minutes left to spare.

"Fujiko! Kinta-chi! You both made it, nya!" Eiji leaps over to us and glomps us both.

"Excited, ne?" Fuji asks.

"Hoi hoi! It's been awhile since I've been to the beach!"

Oishi walks over to us and smiles. "Now that you're both here we can get going."

"Sorry for keeping you." I apologize. Oishi shrugs.

"We have a couple minutes anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"Oi! Sempais!" Momo calls out, running to us. "Did you all see the rooming list?"

Fuji and I shake our heads along with Oishi and Eiji and take the paper from Momo.

Momo and buchou room 4

Kaidou and Inui room 5

Eiji and Kinta room 6

Fuji and Oishi room 7

Coach room 3

We all look at each other slowly. It's obvious that we want to switch around two of us, but still happy that we're with someone we like. Fuji especially looks a little more than distraught, but Eiji looks the least.

"Ya-ta! I'm with Kinta-chi! Mou… sorry Oishi, but it's just for the night!"

'Yeah, just for the night.' Fuji thinks to himself, wondering if I'll make good on my promise and show Eiji my eyes before him.

"Everyone on the bus… now!" Coach demands and every one files in. Once everyone is settled and the bus is moving, I fall asleep with my head against the window. Fuji, who's sitting next to me, watches to make sure that I really am asleep before smiling lightly and taking a picture.

'Great blackmail'.

We arrive at the beach camp and I abruptly wake up. Looking around I see that it's nothing special. There are rooms, many tennis courts, and the pool and beach nearby. Quickly, we all pile into the lobby and head either left or right hallways to our rooms, with even rooms on the left and odd on the right.

"Nya! Hurry up Kinta-chi! I want to go swimming!" Eiji yells, grabbing my slender wrist and pulling me after him.

The rooms are actually pretty nice. Of course, there are two beds, a closet, a television, and bathroom attached. Internally, I thank Kami that there's a bathroom attached. Someone then knocks on the door.

"Kikumaru, Sato, we're meeting in the lobby before going anywhere." Coach says before closing the door again.

"Guess we'll have to wait Eiji." I tell him, smirking as he pouts and whines.

In the lobby, everyone lounges in the chairs or walls waiting for the buchou and coach to stop discussing things.

"Alright everyone," coach calls out. "Today is a free day since we arrived late in the day, but starting tomorrow I'll be training your asses off." I know that I'm not the only one worried and hear many others take a giant gulp.

"The schedule of events and free time will be posted daily. If you have any problems, suck it up." He ends his "speech" with glare and walks back into his room. Everyone turns to stare at buchou to see what he has to add.

He sighs. "Don't do anything stupid." He too walks away after that.

"So… anyone up for chicken fights in the pool?" Eiji asks excitedly. Everyone whoops and hollers in return. Again, I'm dragged off by Eiji to hurry up and change into swim gear.

"Eiji…"

"Hm?"

"Do I have to swim?" I'm not sure how well my disguise will go if I'm wet. How see-through are white shirts anyway?

"Of course! I need you on my team to beat Oishi and Fujiko!"

A large sweat drop forms on my head. "Right…"

Eiji basically shoves me into the bathroom and demands that I change. Sighing, I change out of my shorts and boxers and into the swim trunks. Though, I put on a regular shirt white over my undershirt instead of the one I'm wearing. This way I should be mostly protected.

"Mou… are you done yet!" Eiji whines impatiently from outside the door.

I open it. "Hai hai, now let's go."

"Yatta!" Once again, we both go zooming down the hall, effectively running over poor Momo who never saw us coming. For such a big guy he didn't make a loud thud.

"Gomen Momo!" I yell back, but I don't think he heard me from as far away as Eiji had now dragged me.

Arriving at the pool, I see that everyone is there, with the exception of buchou. Momo walks through the gate with a slight limp and a bruise on his head. He walks over to us and taps Eiji on the shoulder.

"Hoi?"

"That wasn't very nice, Eiji-sempai, not very nice at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, playing innocent eh? Just wait until we're in the pool and I'll cream ya."

Eiji blinks and shrugs it off. Obviously he has no idea that he stampeded over Momo.

"Since everyone's here, let's form teams." Inui says expertly.

Eiji turns to me and opens his mouth, but another voice beats him to the punch.

"We're partners, right Knita-san?"

I look at Fuji and smirk a little. "Of course, Shusuke-san."

Eiji pouts and is about to protest when Oishi saves the day. "Now now, Eiji, Fuji is stronger than Kinta, so it works out better. Besides, don't you want to be my partner?"

"O-oishi! Of course I do, nya!" He high-fives his doubles partner and best friend. Crisis adverted.

"Ah, it is as Oishi says. Sato-san and Kikumaru-san are the lightest players on the team, so it's better if they pair with heavier partners." Inui says, scribbling in his book and glasses gleaming in the light.

"Saa… are you calling me fat Inui?" Fuji asks, his eyes slightly opening and a smirk in place forming a menacing glare.

"E-eh… of course not Fuji. I merely stating that you have more muscle than Sato and Kikumaru." Inui recovers gracefully.

"Ahh, as I thought."

"Fushuu… sempai, partners?" Kaidou asks Inui.

"Gomen, Kaidou, but I would make the numbers uneven since buchou isn't here. I'll be the referee."

"Fushuu." Kaidou nods and walks off grumpily to pair with Momo.

"Alright, everybody prepare for the fight."

I blink, having not played "chicken fights" before. "Eto, Inui-san, how do we play?"

Inui smirks at me. Suddenly I feel something grab my thighs and go in between my legs. I hold back a shriek and my eyes grow wide. Thankfully I have my sunglasses on.

"Shusuke! What the hell are you doing?" I am not comfortable with this at all. What the heck is this kind of game? I hold back the blush that's starting to creep up on my face. I can only stare at where his head and hands are right now. I try my hardest to keep his head and my crotch far apart as possible.

"Eh? You haven't played this before? Well, it's simple really. I fight the people on the bottom while balancing you on my shoulder and you fight the people on top. When you fall into the pool you lose. Last couple standing wins." Then he adds in a whisper, "Use any tactics necessary."

"Hai, it's just like Fuji says. The losers will be allowed to sample Inui Juice Ultra remix: camp edition."

I blink. He makes it sound like it's a good thing. Well, I look at the other teams to see who I have to fight. There's Kaidou on top of Momo and Eiji on top of Oishi. Eiji looks at me while Momo and Kaidou are bickering and signals to double-team them first. I agree, because Kaidou is tough and I don't want to face him alone.

"Alright, begin!" Inui signals with a whistle. Momo and Kaidou aren't paying attention, so Eiji and I sneek over there. Kaidou sees Eiji first and goes after him, so Fuji maneuvers around to another side of him to try and throw him off.

Momo sees this and tries to defend with a smash of his fist in the water. Fuji retaliates by blocking with a sweep and kicks at his legs. Kaidou tries to pull Eiji down and I grab him from the side. With Kaidou temporarily surprised, Eiji pushes him to the side I'm pulling him from. With Momo and Kaidou falling opposite directions, they splash into the pool.

"Yatta!" Eiji and I high-five before we become serious.

Eiji pins his hands against mine and we push back and forth. Eiji lets go for a moment while Oishi tries a moon volley wave attack on us. We manage to dodge just in time. Fuji attacks back with a straight wave to blind them. I make a grab for Eiji, but pull back. Not realizing I pulled back, Eiji makes a grab for my hands. However, they aren't there anymore.

Instead, he leans forward too far and grabs my chest for a split second. His eyes grow wide and he becomes off balance as he falls backwards into the pool.

"Eiji!"

"Good job, Kinta, victory is ours!" Fuji says, smiling.

I blink slowly and try to process what had just happened. It seemed like no one else noticed, which is good, but I have to get out of here. Fuji throws me off backward into the pool and I scramble out, grabbing a towel Eiji had brought with him. I mumble something about going to the bathroom and back to the room before I leave.

Practically running and sliding through the halls, I reach my room, grab some clothes, and lock myself in the bathroom. Taking a quick shower, I get dressed and walk out of the bathroom to see Eiji sitting on his bed with an uncharacteristic angry expression.

"So… you are a girl."


	14. Camp fun on the beach

I can only stare at Eiji. I'm not sure how long I stared at him before I could open my mouth, but it felt like days. Still, the only thing I can come up with is,

"What do you mean Eiji?"

Eiji gives me a look of annoyance. "Just because I'm a boy doesn't mean I don't know what boobs feel like."

I give him an 'are you insane?' look before he blushes at what he said.

"I mean, what I expect them to… oh never mind! The point is that you're a girl, pretending to be a boy, and I want to know why!" Eiji demands, eyes heated with something that tells me he's going to be stubborn.

"Well, why do you think?" I say calmly, even though inside I'm completely terrified.

He looks at me skeptically. "Don't worry, I'll tell you the truth and answer all of your questions." He nods and thinks for a moment.

"Well… I really don't know. You've been nice this whole time and I can't figure out why."

I look at him, wondering why it's so hard to believe that I'm a nice person. "Eiji, just because I'm a girl doesn't change who I am."

"Really?"

"Really, Eiji. I pretend to be a boy so that I can become better in tennis. It's something that I've always done and I want to actually be challenged."

He frowns. "Why didn't you just join the girls' team?"

I raise my eyebrows. "Really? Are you serious? The girl's team hardly practices, I've beat them all in many circuits before, and all they're interested in are boys. Maybe in a different school, but I chose this school for the tennis… and because it's close to home."

"Honto?"

"Hai, really Eiji. It has nothing to do with you guys, except that you're all exceptionally good in tennis and I need a challenge."

"That's good enough for me!" He says cheerily. I stop and stare at him some more.

"What?"

"I said, 'that's good enough for me'."

"I know what you said, but why?"

"Well, you're my friend and you've never lied to me before, so that reason is good enough!"

"This changes… nothing?"

"Yep!"

"Nothing… at all…?"

"Hoi hoi!"

I fall into the chair next to the bed. "As easy as that…"

"Well, I take things well, but the others might not."

I blink. "How so?"

Eiji puts on his thinking face. "Well, Oishi is outright honest, but he'll get over it. Kaidou isn't very open, Inui probably won't care, and Momo will be mad for a bit, but probably not for long. Buchou… we probably shouldn't tell him."

"What about… Shusuke?"

"Fujiko…" Eiji frowns. "He doesn't trust people very well, I should know. We were close once ago, but Oishi is my best friend now. He's become a better person since you've been here, even better than middle school. Still… it'll probably hurt."

"Then… I won't tell him."

"How? He's your best friend. He'll find out eventually, like I did." He blushes, thinking about it.

"Well… you'll just have to help me then."

"Of course!"

"Hey Eiji…"

"Hmm?"

"Don't… you want to know my real name and what I really look like?"

He shrugs. "When you want to."

"Well, I did promise you." I get up and rummage though my bag, looking for a hair tie. Once I find one, I slip it onto my wrist.

"The first thing I had to make sure of was that my hair looked like a boys." I put my hair up and turn towards him.

"Nya! You look more like a girl already!" I smile a little.

"Oh! That must be why you don't smile much, because you look even more girly." I roll my eyes at him.

"So, why do you have sunglasses on or have your eyes closed all the time?"

"Well… I'd rather not get into it, but my eyes are super-sensitive to light of any kind. Really, even with my short hair and plain facial expression, my eyes will be a dead give-away."

"Nya, let me see, let me see!"

I laugh and Eiji blushes. "Alright, but only this once since I promised." I take off my sunglasses and open my eyes in the dim lighting. Blinking, I try to shove the floaters and dark spots out of my vision. Eiji silently gasps at my silver eyes and he looks over me.

Now, more than ever before, he can tell how much of a girl I am. A strong girl with a slim figure, but the way I hide it all is impressive… and depressing. Eiji's face grows red once he realizes what he's thinking about his teammate.

"Ah… I think we should go get dinner soon, nya." He gets up and walks toward the door, but I grab his wrist to stop him.

"Eiji… about today…" I blush and look away from his eyes. Usually I'm not shy, but I guess that's only because I'm pretending to be a boy. "I'm sorry that you found out the way you did… but thanks…"

"Nya! It's okay Kinta-chi, I'm glad." We both blush at that.

"Now, let's go eat!" He grabs my wrist, noting how slender and feminine it feels this time, and (carefully) drags me to dinner.

"Eiji," I whisper as we sit down at our own table. "Try not to act too differently towards me than usual."

"Ah, don't worry about it! Subtlety is my middle name!" He gets up to grab a plate and food while I sit and groan.

"Kinta, why are moaning?"

"Ah, Shusuke! I'm not moaning." I glare at him from my slouching position and mumble something about Eiji.

"Saa… so why did you suddenly run off on me?" I sense something hidden in his meaning, but answer anyway.

"I had… something to take care of, gomen."

He smiles a fake smile, though I'm sure he realizes that I know it's fake. "Then make it up to me by breaking the rules and play a match with me tonight."

I nearly smile, but quickly cover it with a smirk. "Of course, but are you sure you're up for it?"

Fuji's just about to say a quick comeback when Eiji drags me off to another table with Oishi, saying something about having already made me a plate. I turn my head for a moment to see Fuji scowling at the back of Eiji's head. I try to mouth 'sorry' to him and he gives me a half-smile before getting up to get some food as well.

Sighing, I sit at the table.

"What's wrong, Kinta-san?" Oishi asks me, concerned.

"Oh nothing, but I think Eiji's asking for a beating."

He frowns and I explain that he "accidently" interrupted Fuji and he didn't like that. He seemed to worry more, but I tell him that I'll talk to him later and he seems better. The dinner isn't really special, but it goes by fast when Eiji is running his mouth a million miles per hour talking about some new toothpaste his sister bought him for camp and how it's supposedly ocean-flavored. However disgusting that sounds.

After playing around after dinner, Eiji and I head back to our room. When we both shut the door we stare at each other. It seems like we've been doing that a lot lately.

"Eto… Kinta-kun…" I glance at Eiji and he's looking at something to hide his blush.

I nearly laugh. "Eiji… we've slept together before."

"Demo, that's with Oishi and Fuji too!"

I turn to look at him and smile seductively. "Do you plan to do anything to me in my sleep Eiji?"

"Eh!" His face turns fire engine red. "O-of c-course not."

I let out a small giggle. "Then don't worry about it. Remember, I'll still be wearing clothes and everything."

"R-right…"

I smirk at him. "Eiji-kun, you're one of my closest friends and… I trust you."

"Honto!"

"Yep! So, really, just keep pretending I'm a guy and stop being all weird around me." I hit him with a pillow from my bed.

He gives me a look and we have a small pillow fight before getting ready for bed. Coach checks all of the rooms and about an hour later I get a text from Fuji.

** 11 don't forget.**

I shake my head and look at Eiji. He looks cute with the covers half falling off of the bed and mumbling something about defeating that 'rhythm-bastard' and keeping him away from his 'precious toothpaste'.

Checking the time again, I see that it's nearly eleven. Slipping out of my bed, I quickly throw on shorts and a shirt before grabbing my racket. Since my bed is closest to the large window it's easy for me to slip out quickly and quietly. Hurrying, I make my way to the outermost tennis courts to meet Fuji.

"You made it." He smirks at me.

I roll my eyes. "Eiji's a sound sleeper. Do you know who the rhythm bastard is?"

Fuji frowns for a second before chuckling. "He's talking about Kamio, another acrobatics player. Don't worry about it."

I shrug. "So, what're we doing? Best of 3?"

"Actually… I have a different idea in mind." He takes out a book with the title _Playing Doubles._

"You've got to be kidding me…"

He shakes his head no. "We need another good doubles team… especially next year, so how about we practice now?"

Giving him a look, I remember something from awhile ago. "On a few conditions. First, you teach me one of your triple counters fro when I let you have that sushi. Two, no one will know about this. Three…" I whisper the last condition and he smiles sadistically.

"Saa… I accept."

Sighing, I pick up my racket to begin. "Ready?"

"Hmm… no weights though." Grumbling, I take them off and then we begin… from the basics.

It's nearly three in the morning when I sneak back into my room, but Eiji's still sound asleep. Grumbling a little about how I' only going to get four hours of sleep, I immediately fall asleep when my head hits the pillow.

"Kinta-chi, you look really cute when you sleep." My eyes snap open at that and I jump up to see Eiji hovering over me.

"Gah! What do you think you're doing Eiji?" I glare at him, slightly embarrassed and eyes flashing once before closing them again from the morning light.

"Mou… it's almost breakfast time and we have beach training today!"

I glance at my cell phone to see that it's 6:57 a.m. "Eiji! I only have three minutes to get ready!" I hurry and throw on some clothes and grab my bag on my way to the dining hall. Eiji starts in about how he tried to wake me up, but I was really out of it. I grumble something about a hard-ass tensai, but he doesn't hear.

"Grumpy this morning?" Fuji says as he's about to sit beside me, but Eiji squeezes past him and steals the spot. Frowning, he sits across from me instead next to Oishi.

"How are you not?" I glare at him from behind my sunglasses.

He smirks. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Oishi gives him a side glance and scoots his chair a little farther away.

Instead of replying I eat my cereal and toast. Eiji tells us all about how he came down early to see what we're doing today and couldn't believe it's beach training. Evidently, it consists of various drills, swimming long distances, weights, and partner drills before actual tennis practice after lunch. At the end of the day there's free time.

After hearing all of this my scowl deepens toward Fuji. He doesn't seem the least affected by our late night training. Thankfully I'm not too sore since I took off my weights. It seems like Inui brought soe anyways, so I won't need to get mine.

"Everyone outside when you're done eating." Buchou announces before leaving the dining hall.

"Nya, buchou needs to lighten up!" Eiji says, a little frighten by his stern command.

"Maa… I think he just needs a girl, right mamushi?"

"Fushuu… baka peach head."

"Oi! Want to start something?"

"Fushuu… like you could." He chuckles a little before walking away.

"Eh? Mamushi! What's that mean?" He yells, running after him.

I sigh. "Is all Momo think about are girls?"

"Pretty much." The three boys left say.

"Actually, he thinks about girls 35% of the time, tennis 32%, food 22%, and fighting 17%." Inui says, popping up from behind Fuji out of nowhere.

"Gah! Inui!" Eiji yells after grabbing onto me. I only raise my eyebrow, just wondering where he hides and how he hears so well.

"Gomen Kikumaru." Then he disappears on the spot and reappears twenty feet in front of the door.

"I really want to know how he does that." I mumble.

"Saa… are you sure?"

I see the glint in his eyes. "Eh… maybe not…"

I take this chance to dump my bowl in the trash and walk outside to where we're meeting. The three follow behind me, afraid to face buchou's wrath. Really… I'm not sure how horrible the punishment would be as much as embarrassing or difficult. Like the time Eiji was caught messing around and he made him scrub the tennis courts while being in a handstand.

"Alright, since everyone's present, we can begin," Buchou says. "First up is regular training, which will consist of swimming 1 ½ miles to the buoy and back, running on the sand obstacle course, and doing all of this with your partner."

"Hoi! Who's my partner, nya?" Eiji asks excitedly.

"The pairs will be your roommates, but-"

"Yatta! I'm with Kinta-chi!"

Buchou glares at him and he hides behind Fuji and me. "BUT the pair that comes in last will face punishment."

"Saa… I hope that it's Inui's new juice from yesterday." Fuji says dreamily.

"Actually, Fuji, it's something _far_ worse that I've created." Buchou says with an impish smile.

Fuji's eyes snap open and he glances at Oishi. "Ah… then we won't lose, ne Oishi?"

Oishi gulps. "H-hai!"

"Oh, but Momo and Kaidou will be partners since Inui will be helping to set up the obstacle course and I'm conducting this while coach is away. Now everyone, to the beach!"

We all walk to the beach and take up starting positions. From where I'm standing I can barely see the buoy. Thoughts about sharks and other creatures make me a little afraid of swimming that long, but I shake off that fear. I'd rather smell Momo's shoes than take Buchou's punishment.

"Ready… go!" He shouts.

Eiji and I keep pace while Momo and Kaidou race all the way there. Fuji passes me on my right and I see Oishi lagging behind a bit. I look at Eiji and we silently agree to pick up the pace. It's not long before we reach the buoy and head back to shore. Kaidou and Momo are slowing down considerably, so we take the chance to pass them. When we reach shore, Fuji is waiting on Oishi and smirks at me when we head off to start the obstacle course.

Evidently we have to wear weights while doing this. I find the stack with my name on it and nearly faint at how much I have to wear on each extremity: 15 pounds. Eiji's up and ready so we go through the first section, which is just maneuvering around cones and poles, twisting through laser sections, and… wait… are those…

"Swinging logs? You've got to be kidding me!" I yell as Eiji and I try to jump over, dodge, and roll under moving LOGS.

"This is better than the lasers, nya!"

I give him a look that says 'I think you're insane'.

The next section we have to keep our balance while running on a plank of wood, through water, and then…

I stop. "Eiji… why is the ground sparkling?"

"Woah! It is sparkling… we should wait to see what the other teams do." We hide behind some bushes near the beach. Finally, Momo and Kaidou arrive and they try to push through, but end up slipping and falling to where they can't grip anything to stand. Fuji and Oishi, who were right behind, try to go through without shoes on. Then, I get an idea.

"Eiji, get me those branches and untie your laces." Eiji gives me a look, but does what I ask. Soon, I make skates for both of us by ties the laces around the branch and out shoes. They aren't perfect, but we slide through the section easily.

He high-fives me. "Nice!"

"Thanks." I smile before I see what's ahead of us. "Seriously, I think Inui has really out done himself."

Before us is the last leg of the course, where we have to find three matching shells in a huge space of them. Thankfully each shell has a gold star on them, so that we'll know if there are others like them.

Eiji takes the left while I take the right. I find one blue shell, yellow shell, and two orange. I show Eiji and he yells back that he has a purple shell, white shell, and a blue one too. Fuji and Oishi arrive and Fuji immediately finds two yellow shells. I keep mine just in case. Momo and Kaidou somehow managed to get out of the oily substance and can't seem to spot any.

"What shell are you looking for?" Fuji asks me, fake smile in place. I'm pretty sure it's because we hung back to see what'd his group did and try to find a way to overcome the obstacle.

"Either an orange or blue one. You?"

"Saa… you wouldn't happen to have a yellow one would you?" He asks politely.

"I might if you have the blue one." I smirk.

"Why, I think I do."

I stare at him as he stares back. It's now that I notice his eyes aren't always closed, but that because he's usually always smiling that they seem closed. I put the yellow shell in my right hand and hold it out to him.

"Trade?"

He shrugs. "It'd be best."

He sticks out his hand and I drop my shell into it. He smiles sadistically and I get a bad feeling in my stomach. He shows me my blue shell just before he throws it out towards Eiji.

"Teme…" I growl before yelling at Eiji to make a grab for it. He manages to catch it, but Fuji and Oishi are already half way to the finish line.

"Come on! We can't lose." I say, grabbing Eiji and making him drop the rest of the shells.

We're almost there when Fuji and Oishi cross the line. The weights are taking their toll and I start to slow down. Then I here Momo yell out something about finding two orange shells and turn around to see a stampede of sand heading straight for us. Somehow I manage to push a little more and we barely make it over the line when Momo and Kaidou trample over us.

"Yes! We're second!" Momo yells, rejoicing.

"Fushuu…" Kaidou says, glaring at him from one eye.

"Actually, you're last. Kikumaru and Sato made it over .43 seconds before you."

Momo's mouth drops open and he sinks to his knees to start hitting the sand before looking at Kaidou and accusing him of being too slow and stupid. After a little banter buchou stops them and tells them their punishment.

"Buchou! No… why… BUCHOU!" Momo yells out, running after buchou while Kaidou hisses and starts his punishment for fear of more punishment.

"Mou… that's a little harsh, making them swim all the way out to the buoy with 50 pounds of weight on each leg and arm and bring it back and then drink a pitcher of Aozu." Eiji says.

"Would you like to help them?" Fuji asks smirking. "I'm sure Inui can find some more weights somewhere."

Eiji pouts. "That's mean Fujiko!"

"Saa… is it?" I look at him and he just smiles.

"H-how about we get lunch while we can. Afterwards we get to play tennis." Oishi says, recovering from Fuji's extreme competitiveness.

"Great idea Oishi, because I'm starving." I say while heading to the dining hall. Fuji stands next to me and we talk about what that oily concoction must've been. He's not quite as pissed as he was, but I did own him on that section while he flailed quite a bit.

After eating we find Kaidou and Momo passed out on the ground with two empty pitchers beside them. Fuji whips his camera out from his bag and takes a couple of shots. I think I hear him muttering something along the lines of blackmail.

"So, how about doubles?" Oishi suggests.

"Eto… I don't know how to play doubles… at all, so… one on one?" I say, a bit embarrassed. Only Fuji and I know that I know only the bare basics so far, but no one can know just yet…

"Sure." Oishi smiles. We partner off while Eiji takes on Fuji, boasting about some new acrobatics move. Both games end fast, so Fuji and I decide that we're going to work on something and Oishi says something about working on a new formation.

We both go our own ways and Fuji starts to talk about our own doubles project. Everything is top secret, but what we're working on now is mastering each others' techniques. We're not going to use that in our doubles play exactly, but it's to help for when we reveal ourselves to the world.

Buchou comes to check on us and to tell everyone that it's not free time and an hour before dinner. We nod and walk around to sit in the pool for a bit. I start thinking about how easy it is to have friends and why no one has wanted to be before.

"Ne, Shusuke, what are you going to do after high school?"

"Saa… probably college."

I frown. "What about tennis?"

He smiles a small, real smile. "Maybe… if I ever find something to motivate me enough to do it as a profession."

I frown. "Why can't you do both?"

He looks at me confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well," I say slowly. "I want to play tennis, but I really want to run some kind of business. Something that would make people smile, or laugh, or just stop and think. I don't know exactly, but I'll know when I find it."

Fuji sits and thinks for a minute, seemingly contemplating something. "Well… if I could do both, I'd like to be an artist."

I blink. "What?"

Fuji leans back and looks at the sky. "I like to take lots of photos, but I also draw and paint. It's a hobby really, not like tennis, but it's something at least."

I smile though he can't see. "As long as it matters to you."

He looks at me sharply. "Just don't tell anyone, because…"

"Because they can't see what you can."

He smiles. "Exactly."

"Well, we don't call you a tensai for nothing."

I stand up to go to my room and change for dinner. "You too, you know." I stop in my place when I hear those words. "Even though no one has said it yet, everyone thinks so. The great Sato Kinta who can hold his own against tensai Fuji Shusuke." His voice carries something bittersweet. It's as if he's angered, but at the same time a little relieved.

I chuckle softly. "Well, then just know I don't think of you as tensai Fuji Shusuke, or even Fuji, just Shusuke. See you tonight." I walk off, heading to my room to shower and get everything ready for tonight, as well as to write down some ideas for our practices later.

"Just Shusuke, huh?" Fuji says, smiling a real smile for once. 'It seems like I've been doing that more lately, but I think… that I'm okay with that.'

**AN: I don't ever do this, but in case you don't know, I post when I'm going to update in my profile, so check regularly. Also, I appreciate all of the reviews everyone. Each one of you inspires something new in my story, so please keep reviewing. Thanks.**


	15. Camp fun day and night

Walking into my room I notice that Eiji's already there. I frown at first, but when he looks over at me I quickly hide it.

"Hey, did you finish early?" I ask, seeing as usually he spends every moment he can with Oishi.

"Mou… training was hard!" He pouts and rants on about how the new formation is difficult. I gather my clothes for after my shower while he does this.

"Where did you go last night, nya?" He asks suddenly, catching me off guard.

Dammit, I thought he'd been asleep all night. "Don't tell anyone, but I've been practicing after hours."

He frowns. "Just don't get caught, because I won't save you."

I chuckle softly. "It's okay Eiji, but I've been thinking about something… why haven't you asked for my real name yet?"

He pauses, clearly not seeing this question coming at him. I told him about my transitions from becoming a girl to a boy, but not much about my other qualities and information. Or at least, what he doesn't know already. Still, it's been bugging me.

"Well… I _am_ curious, but… I don't want to know yet!" He yells, smiling enthusiastically.

"Eh?"

"Well, I mean, I'll just wait until you tell everyone else." I look at his eyes when he says this and notice that they're a little shifty.

"You mean that you'll probably slip up and tell them, don't you?" I assess, grinning.

He pouts. "Mou… you don't have to put it that way!"

I laugh, then say that I'm going to shower and plan out some new trial things for tennis before meeting him and Fuji downstairs.

"Kinta-kun…"

"Hmm?" I ask, poking my head out from the bathroom door.

"Just… be careful around Fuji." I look at him and frown, asking him what he means by that. "Fuji… isn't all what he seems. There's a darker side to him than the calm, sadistic one we all see."

I smile softly. "Eiji… I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but he's slowly changing into a better person; you said it yourself. I'm not worried, but thank you for your concern." I duck back into the bathroom and turn on the shower. This makes it so I can't hear the last words Eiji says to himself before leaving.

"I would be if I were you. Fuji's dark side isn't something I want to get between again." He shivers before heading out to the game room that he and Momo had found only a few minutes before.

After showering, I throw on my tennis shorts and a different shirt. Now that Eiji knows I've been sneaking out at night I don't have to hide it from him. Sitting at the desk near the window, I take out some paper and a pen to begin jotting down ideas for tennis.

I think mostly about last night and today, wondering if we can really pull off doubles. Fuji has had years of practice and I'm a complete beginner. Still, he's right about the lack of doubles, since the Golden Pair are really our only good doubles team. Inui and Kaidou are great too, but they're not as strong in doubles as they are in singles.

Then, there's the tennis I play. Most of my moves are based on gambling and unconventional techniques. My 'Dice Serve', 'Flash Stance', and '360 Slice' are the ones I mostly use in serious games, but I need to develop more. The hits are all precise and fast, but they're only medium in strength.

Fuji has a lot of techniques; because he showed them all to me last night, but I know that he wants to develop some more as well. I'm fairly well at absorbing information and techniques, but he's faster at it than I am. Hopefully we'll be able to get it down by the end of the year.

Suddenly, I think of a new formation that might be formidable against other teams. Since we went over formations last night, I can see what he thinks. For now I'll call it Form J. Quickly, I write down all the details and stick it into my tennis bag. Checking the time, I see that it's nearly time to eat, so I head down to see Fuji waiting for me at a table.

"Yo." I say, waving as I walk in. He stands up and waves back as I walk towards him.

"Ready?" I nod in response. Looking around, I see that Eiji isn't here yet. Knowing him, he must be stuck on a game and not want to die.

"Looking for someone?" Fuji asks me, noticing that I don't have anything on my plate yet.

"Just Eiji." I turn back to the food and begin to pile some on, missing the slight frown on his face.

Fuji quickly seats us, so that Eiji won't take the spot next to me. I don't notice his actions, but I can see that he's happier today. This makes me think about what Eiji said before, about his 'dark side'. I look at him while I ponder it.

Really, Fuji doesn't seem to be the type to harm anyone. Surely he could if he wanted to, but nothing about him seems amiss aside from his family issues and such. Though, before dinner he did mention something about being motivated to play tennis. I wonder what that means, because-

"Kinta-kun!" A loud voice in my ear startles me out of my thoughts.

"Oi! Why so loud?" I frown, looking at his smirk.

"You were staring at me. See something you liked?" He asks playfully.

I shrug. "Not especially." Looking back down at my food, I miss his twitch of his smirk. It tugs at something in Fuji, but he can't seem to put his finger on it.

"Saa… so did you think of anything useful for tonight?" We go into a conversation about a new formation I have thought of, possible combination of moves, and other such things. As we talked in hushed voices neither of us saw how the others kept away from us. Even as we left, I failed to notice if Eiji ever came down for dinner.

Only just before going to "bed" did I notice him walk into our room. I've been working out some different techniques and such, so I didn't notice the time pass.

"Eiji! Where have you been?" I ask concerned

"Been… playing… wii games… with Momo… and Oishi… so… much fun!" He says before passing out on his bed. I look at him and wonder if he played through dinner. Thinking the better of waking him up, I just wait for coach to check our room and sneak out the window to practice before Fuji gets there.

Stepping onto the court, I find a half court with a wall and begin regular hits and serves. Moving on to my own moves, I quickly find areas to modify and increase their effectiveness. On a return, the ball comes from a different angle since I missed the correct spot to hit it, so I bring my racket up to defend and end up hitting it. The ball bounces back from the wall oddly and I look at the ball.

The ball is dented. I can't believe what I'm seeing. I look at how my racket is still lined up and it's sideways. Thinking about it some more, I try to see if I can hit the ball with the side of my racket. It goes on and on until I finally hit it, making this dent even larger, but not quite cutting it.

Smiling, I put the ball away. This should prove interesting as I have found a new move, but one that's going to take a lot of strength training. Still, it seems like it'll be a formidable attack if I ever get a chance to use it in a game.

"Kinta-kun, you're here already." Fuji says, coming up from behind me. I smile just like he does and nod. "Well, how about we start?"

Practice goes on for awhile until I ask him to teach me his triple counters. For some reason though, I'm having trouble with Hakugei. Fuji comes around behind me and puts his hands over mine on my racket.

"What are you doing Shusuke?" I ask him calmly. Inside, however, I'm fighting to keep my heart calm and to not freak out. Sure, I'm playing a boy, but I'm a girl and this is a cute boy, who's smart, sadistic, and my _best friend._ Therefore, I'm pretty uncomfortable.

"Saa… it's no use just showing you, so I'll perform it with you." I tense at his voice, but he just leans closer. "Relax. I thought you trusted me." He playfully pouts and I nod, signaling him to keep going.

He leans closer to me as we go through the motions a few times. I can feel the way his muscles moves together and smell the mixture of sweat and cologne on him. Breathing deeply, I start to relax and just go through the motion. It's not long before he steps back and watches me practice.

"Good, now let's try it again." He says before stepping away to hit the ball from his side of the court. This time around I hit it easily and I'm overjoyed. In fact, I don't even notice that I'm full out smiling until he looks at me with a frown. I catch myself and just smirk.

"As good as you?"

He nods, still frowning. "Yeah."

I quickly change the subject. "Shusuke… why did you say earlier that you need to be motivated to play tennis seriously?"

He looks at me for a long moment before replying. "Well, it was a while ago that I played tennis and Tezuka made me realize that I could play tennis for winning, growing stonger, and many other things rather than just for fun. I never really got better unless I started to be serious."

Sitting on the bench outside of the courts he continues. "I guess I've forgotten about that all since he left. Other things have happened and I just sort of went back to the way I was."

I ponder his words for a moment. "Were you serious when you played me earlier this year?"

"For the most part." I frown and he chuckles. "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you one day."

Eiji's words also intrude upon my thoughts. "Will you seriously play me or are you going to hold back?"

"What make you think I'm going to hold back?" His sharp eyes lock onto mine.

I clear my throat uncomfortably. "Someone mentioned something about your 'dark side' and how it's not good to get between you and that."

Fuji scowls and thinks for a few minutes. He wonders how I found out about that side. It torments him sometimes, because it wants to be released. When it is, he evolves into a better player. It takes a lot more effort to do it the right way, but it's a source of his strength.

I speak before him, to tell him my thoughts. "You know, I don't really think you have a dark side."

"… What makes you say that?" His voice is quiet and thoughtful.

"Well, up until now you've been yourself and haven't shown me any of that side."

Fuji gives me a side glance, but I'm only looking up at the stars. "Kinta-kun… whoever told you that it right." He's finally decided to tell someone something about it. "My dark side is something that I hate. It takes all of my negative feelings and bottles it up. When I'm up against an opponent that I want to hurt, it comes out."

"Once… I hurt my brother because of it and I can never forgive myself. Ever since then… it's just been building."

I turn to look at him and his scowl. It hurts me to want to touch him, so that I can make that face go away, but I can't. Instead, I come to a realization.

"Shusuke… I don't believe that it's a dark side."

"Weren't you-"

"I know, I heard you, but I think that it's there and building because you make it. The good side is getting squashed by all this negativity, but if you let it go and build up the positive side, then you'll evolve even more."

I pause to let it sink in before I bring out my ultimate weapon. "Maybe you'll even beat Tezuka."

His eyes grow wide before narrowing again. "He once told me that I am his ultimate rival. I can't really see how I am since he always beats me, but maybe… maybe that's what he meant." He smirks a little. "All this time I thought he didn't like to have fun, but maybe it was just me."

Standing up, I pull him to his feet. "Look, it's late and we have to be up in a couple hours."

"Yeah… I heard buchou and coach talking. It sounds like we have weighted tennis training all day tomorrow."

I groan and he laughs. Bidding him a good night, I head back to my room. He stands there for a few minutes, wondering why he could only see the dark side and never the good. For a moment, fear takes over as he wonders if the dark side really takes over that much of his life. Wondering if he'll ever see the good side, he walks silently back to his room.

Morning comes around and this time I'm prepared for the fatigue that plagues me every morning now. Making sure Eiji's fully recovered, we head down to eat breakfast and to break off into pairs again. Much to Fuji's dismay, I'm paired with Momo this time.

Fuji is my partner for tennis, and even though it is summer camp, he believes that we should stick with our partners. That may be rational thinking, but Fuji can sense something else mixed in as well. He believes that it's because Kinta is his best friends, but really it's something called jealousy.

Still, the fact that Momo is more of a power player means that I'm going to get a great workout. This also means that I'm going to be unbelievably sore. Inui doubles my normal weights, so now I'm wearing thirty pounds on each wrist and ankle. I want to growl at him, but I'm sure he'll only give me more weights.

The concept of practice is simple. We stretch, weight lift, run, and play tennis while wearing weights. After each round (doing all of the drills) he'll add another five pounds to each band. There are four stations, fifteen minutes at each, and four hours to do everything, so that means…

"What! Fifty pounds of weight by the last hour! Are you guys serious?" I glare at buchou and Inui. Inui's unaffected, but buchou sighs.

"If you want more weight Inui can-"

"No! No, I'm fine!" I say quickly, walking towards the outside of the courts to start our run. Fuji is paired with Oishi, starting at the weight lifts. Kaidou's with Eiji, beginning with stretches. Buchou's with Inui, tackling the tennis match first.

Sighing, I know it's going to be a long day. Buchou's already told us that we're playing regular matches with our weights on after lunch too. Just my luck that I get to play with fifty pounds on.

Even so, the four hours go by slowly and Momo drives me into the ground trying to get me stronger. The boy is driven, but easily distracted. I snicker at the thought of revealing to Momo that I'm actually a girl and seeing what his reaction would be. My guess is shock, embarrassment, anger, and then acceptance. My only hope is that he won't hit on me.

"Oi! Focus Kinta-san, or if you don't your kouhai will make you pay for his lunch when we get back." This hits a nerve, since I know how much the boy can eat. How his parents put up with it I'll never know.

"Bring it Momo!" I yell, smirking in his direction and slipping on my sunglasses. He's been known to utilize the sun position to his advantage.

After we finish our match, we stretch for the last fifteen minutes before ending the grueling four hours and hurrying off to lunch. Whereas Momo is starving, Eiji is complaining about being too tired to eat.

Fuji chuckles. "Maybe you shouldn't have slacked off on strength training. If you had been practicing stamina training with weights, then you wouldn't be worse off than Kinta."

"That's not very nice Shusuke." I say with a light frown on my face. He only smiles in return.

"Mou… why do you get to call Fujiko by his first name? Ne ne!" Eiji prods.

Shrugging I tell him that I'm special and shoot him a wide grin that only he can see. He blushes for a moment and then pouts while muttering something about how unfair it is.

"Saa… if you want to, you can too Eiji." Fuji says, eyes glinting in the sun beneath his lids.

Eiji shivers and stammers out an 'it's alright'. Fuji shrugs and keeps smiling as we all go through the food line and grab a burger and some fries. When we're about to get our drinks, Inui pops up.

"You four have been selected to try my new and improved Aozu." Glasses glinting off of nothing, Inui smiles eerily.

Fuji glares at him. "Saa… haven't we been over this Sadaharu?" Ohh… Fuji just used Inui's first name! I wonder what happened in the past to make Fuji so angry at Inui and his drink.

"Ahem… this is improved Aozu, so it has a better taste and more ingredients. Still, I think you should try some." Inui says, not breaking his eye contact from Fuji.

It doesn't look like either of them will give up anytime soon and I'm really thirsty. Of course, I've never had one of Inui's drinks before, so why not give it a try? Plus, I'll get to see why Fuji doesn't like this drink in particular.

"I'll try some Inui." I say brightly, which catches him off guard. His smile widens and the glasses seem to almost sparkle. I almost decide against trying the drink just because he looks so creepy muttering to himself about new data and such, but the clear color of Aozu makes me think otherwise.

"Here you go." Handing me the glass, his notebook is out and ready.

"Ne, are you sure Kinta-san?" Oishi asks, looking distastefully at the cup in my hand.

"Mou… Oishi! Kinta-chi's going to die!" He starts sobbing on Oishi's shoulder. Fuji on the other hand looks intrigued.

"Saa… I wonder what will happen." He says, blue eyes open and contemplating.

I look at the four strangely before bringing the drink up to my lips and downing it all in three large gulps. At first, the taste is extremely sweet, then becomes bitter, and has a tangy after taste. All in all, I can tell that it's made of a lot of vinegar, oranges, lemons, soy milk, and is that cheese?

When I finish, I look up at Inui and smirk. "More?" I ask. It's definitely refreshing and I can feel my body gaining some energy back. All four of the guys look absolutely shocked. Fuji turns to Inui who's scribbling down data and demands a glass as well.

Although he doesn't show it, the drink gets to him. Still, Fuji thinks it's a lot more tolerable than before. Even so, he's not going to recommend it. Looking at me, he wonders how I can say that it takes good.

"Kikumaru, Oishi would either of you like some?" Inui asks. The two shake their heads no and run off. While Inui's scribbling in his notebook, I make sure to grab four bottles of water for us.

Eiji and Oishi thank me profusely as I take my seat next to Eiji. Fuji, once again, feels that tug on his chest when he sees me sitting down. This time he plays it off as the juice taking effect, but really it's because he's _jealous_ and he doesn't know.

"Ready for four more hours of torture?" I ask, throwing my trash away. Eiji and Oishi groan as Fuji looks indifferent. This time we're playing one on one against each team member and then practicing the rest of the time with our partner. I give a side glance to Fuji as we walk to opposite ends of the court. Even though I feel down that I can't practice with him now, I know that we will tonight.

Four hours pass by quickly again. Fuji and I didn't play too hard, since we're mostly practicing the triple counters, our serves, and power hitting. Still, I can see in his eyes that something's bothering him, but since he doesn't bring it up I won't. After finishing our last set, I wave good bye and head out to the beach still dressed in tennis gear.

Walking down the beach I come across a deserted patch and sit with the ocean lapping my legs. Leaning back, I think about how peaceful it is to be out here. The sun is nice when it's setting and the water isn't cold at all. In fact, everything about this place just calms me.

Well, everything except for the nagging feeling in the back of my head that someone's watching me.

"You can come out you know." I call out, still laying on the sand with my eyes shut.

The man chuckles. "Seems like I've been found out."

"It's easy to know that it's you Shusuke." He smiles even though I can't see it.

"It's easy to see that you've found my spot as well." The sand next to me shifts and I can tell that he's sitting upright watching the ocean ebb in and out.

"Hmm… you know, we're only here for two more days. It doesn't seem like the week's up already."

"Mmm… yeah five days isn't enough." It really does suck that this camp's "week" is only five days long instead of seven.

The silence is kept for awhile and I look out of my sunglasses to see that Fuji has a small smile on his face. Almost as if he's content about something. I know that he was just bothered by something earlier, but he looks… calmer now.

"Yuuta called me a little while ago."

I turn my head towards him, looking over him with my eyes even though he's not even paying attention to me. "Yeah? How'd it go?"

His smile widened. "He called me aniki."

I nearly frown. "Doesn't he call you that all the time?"

"Not since junior high, but that's not the point."

"Oh, what is?"

"He _almost_ called me by my name."


	16. Camp fun training

My mouth gapes open in shock. Though, before I can say anything, he continues.

"Well he didn't _exactly_ say it to me, but rather talking to someone _about_ me." He frowns for a moment. "Still, it's good enough for me." His smile is in place again, but I can tell that he means it this time.

"Did you tease him about it this time?" Fuji's told me of his habit to tease Yuuta whenever he's around or calls. He shakes his head no.

"Still… that bastard is bothering him again." He scowls and I begin to become curious.

"Who?"

"Mizuki." He spits out like it's a dirty word. "Yuuta called and we were talking about the tennis camps we have this summer. It was going along fine until _he_ decided to butt in. _He_ asked Yuuta who he's talking to and Yuuta said 'Shu-Seishun's Fuji.'" Fuji's scowl returns.

"Ah… so he covered it up, but at least he started to." I comfort.

Fuji sighs. "It's better, but you know how he is about being associated with me in any way."

Checking the time on my cell phone, I see that it's almost time for dinner. Slipping it back into my bag, I stand up and brush the sand off.

"Time for dinner." I say, giving only a small smile like I usually do. He looks up and takes me hand.

"Yeah."

As we walk back to the building I take the time to actually look at Fuji. His hair is a bit longer than mine, but it's straight and looks soft. I wonder if his bangs ever gets into his eyes like mine do. His smile is still in place, but he looks a lot more relaxed than before. Since his guards are a little down, his azure eyes can be seen through half-lids. Really, he does look perfect.

This makes me feel quite a bit guilty. I can't help but wonder why the tensai hasn't noticed that I'm a girl yet. Maybe, he already knows and is going to expose me at his discretion or something's probably keeping him from actually noticing. Either way, as much as I'm beginning to like him, he can't know or else I'll lose him.

"Kinta, you okay?" He asks, concern crossing his features. I nod and give a quick smile to which he returns. Really, this boy gives me more credit than I deserve.

"Hoi hoi! Fujiko, Kinta-chi you're here!" Eiji yells, waving us over to our usual table.

"Ah… gomen if we kept you waiting long." Fuji says, sliding easily into his seat. Once again, he's next to Oishi and across from me.

"Of course not. Eiji's just really hungry." Oishi says, looking exasperated at his best friend.

"Then let's eat now, nya!" He says, grabbing my arm on his way to the buffet line.

"Eiji!" I say, surprised that he dragged me all the way here.

"Ne, Kinta-chi, were you with Fuji this whole time?" He doesn't look at me while we get our food.

"Just about, why?"

He frowns. "I think you should spend more time with the others too."

"Eiji, if something's bothering you just say it."

"Well, Fuji always gets you to himself and I don't think that's fair. Especially because I don't want anything to happen to you."

I nearly roll my eyes. "Are you jealous?"

His face grows bright red. "Eh! No, of course not!"

I smile. "Good, because I don't like him like that." Yet… Of course, I can realize that we act different around each other, more than best friends do. Just because I never had a lot of social interaction doesn't mean that I'm sheltered. Kami, I live with Kirin-nii and Rei-chan!

He gives me a look that says he doesn't buy it, but he'll believe me for now. When we go to sit down I tell him that I'll go hang out with him and Momo before we have to go to bed. He grins and begins to rant about all the different games in the room.

Fuji, who sits across from me, watches me as I converse with Eiji. He begins to think about all the time I spend with him, like in our room, on the court, doing drills, and now, in the game room. He starts to feel the jealously creep up, but holds it back down. He'll see me tonight for a few hours, so it'll be good enough. Instead of thinking more about it, he turns to talk to Oishi about some doubles techniques.

Nearing the end of our time before curfew, I bid Momo and Eiji a good night so I can go and change to practice tonight with Fuji. He texted me earlier this evening saying that we're going to practice the different formations and work on my power. Though it's not my favorite thing to work on, I won't complain since I know I need it. Making sure that I have twenty pounds of weight in my bands, I place them in my bag and zip it up.

Eiji walks into our room exhausted. Without even a greeting, he grabs his clothes from the floor and makes his way to the bathroom. After a few minutes, he emerges and falls onto his bed muttering something about too much DDR with Momo. Falling asleep quickly, I get up to shut off the lights so coach won't come in bothering us.

Waiting until it's nearly eleven, I sneak out through the window to meet Fuji at the courts. He's already there when I arrive, so I put my things next to him and join him in putting on the weights and stretching. We talk about the different formations and what drills we're going to do after we finish warming up.

When it gets close to two, Fuji decides that it's time to stop, so we sit on the bench to take off our weights.

"You're getting better." He says, pride evident in his voice.

"I hope so, because I can't tell the difference!" I say, chuckling a little.

He smiles and turns his head so his eyes can meet my closed ones. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course!" It's just I'm not sure if you should trust me.

"Good, because I trust you too. That's what we need to play doubles." I can feel my heart pounding heavily against my chest. All I can think about is what he'd say if I ever tell him that I'm a girl. Would he trust me and just accept it? Eiji's words come back to me and I want anything but what he said to happen.

"What are you doing this summer?" I finally decide to ask him.

"Mmm… that's a good question." He looks at me to see what I say.

"I think… that I'm going to play tennis." He laughs, saying that's a given, but what else. "Probably college scouting and studying."

"Saa… college is coming up, isn't it?" He looks thoughtful.

"Would you like to come with me?" Ignoring Eiji's voice in my head, I ask him anyways. "It'll be for a week or two, depending on where we want to go, but it'll be fun."

He smiles. "Ah… I might just take you up on that offer."

"Yeah, because our next camp isn't until the end of July anyways."

We talk for a bit more about what we can do during summer, like training at different tennis spots, taking me to the street tennis courts, and possibly spying on the other schools.

"Shusuke, the Tokyo prefecture is coming up right?"

"Mmm… we'll be facing some of the same schools as before and others before we go on to the Kantou regionals."

"Do you know who we're going to face yet?"

"Saa… I'm not sure, but I heard that Hyotin will be there, as well as St. Rudolph, Fudomine, and others."

I frown. "Didn't we crush Hyotin?"

He frowns as well. "I think that that was Atobe's plan. I've heard a rumor that many of Hyotei's regulars are stepping up their games so that they'll be in the prefecture."

"Just how many players do you know?"

"Saa… I'm not really sure. I know many from middle school, but who knows where they all are now. The Kantou regionals will tell us what we're up against, but we shouldn't slack off for any reason."

I look at him. "You seem more competitive now. What happened?"

He shrugs. "I guess I'm starting to realize why I play tennis."

I don't question him and instead stand up. "Well, I'm going to bed so that I won't die from practice tomorrow. Night Shusuke." I wave at him and walk back to my side of the building.

He watches me walk away and silently wonders why he doesn't want to be here alone. He's been alone for so long, and liked it like that, but this time it feels like something's missing. That nagging feeling that tells him that he should try more and become a better player isn't there anymore. It's almost as if it's become silenced.

Standing up, Fuji wonders why Kinta's presence is preferable to anyone else's. Of course, Tezuka's is always welcomed, but it has a different feel to it. Something's off and Fuji can't put his finger on it yet. Sighing, he walks contently back to his room as well.

Morning comes to quickly however and Kikumaru Eiji is excited as ever.

"Kinta-chi!" He yells into me ear, effectively waking me up and wanting to smack him.

"What the hell, Eiji?" I glare at him with my eyes open. Well, they're almost always closed except for when I'm outside with my sunglasses on, but I'm too tired to care this morning.

"Eep! Kinta-chi looks like sh-he's going to to kill me nya!" Recovering from his slip-up, he blushes lightly.

"Gah, Eiji, at least try to control your urges." I tease while sitting up and rubbing my tired eyes.

"Eh? I-what-you-then I-huh!"

I laugh and he pouts. "Try not to blush too much okay? Or else someone's going to take it the wrong way, like Fuji or Oishi."

His shocked and terrified face is enough to throw me into another fit of giggles. Grabbing some clothes, I quickly shower and do whatever else I need to before walking down with Eiji to get breakfast.

Kaidou and Momo are already there and starting their first fight. Sighing, I walk over and grab Momo by the ear.

"Ow! Hey what gives Sato-sempai?" I give Momo a look.

"What did you do to Kaidou?"

"Me! He-"

Kaidou snickers, saying something about getting what he deserves. I turn to look at him too.

"If you _want_ to join him, be my guest, but Momo," I turn to look at the purple-eyed boy. "Stop being so noisy in the morning!" I yell, glaring at him. He turns stark white and sits back down.

"Hai!"

Sighing, I tell them to save it for training and not eating or else Buchou will make a worse punishment than me. Leaving them, I feel someone come up and start walking next to me. I smile slightly, knowing exactly who it is.

"Morning Shusuke."

"Saa… morning. Don't you think it's a little early to be yelling at them?"

I shake my head. "Late nights aren't good for me, so they got what they deserved for disturbing my otherwise peaceful morning."

He shakes his head. "Well, the board this morning says that we have pool tennis, beach tennis, weight training, and weighted tennis matches today."

I grumble at the mention of the last two as we walk over to the buffet line. Placing food on my plate and grabbing a drink, I make my way over to our usual table. Fuji sits next to me and opposite of Eiji. Eiji doesn't seem to really notice, but Fuji is happier than usual with this setting.

"Mou… where's Oishi?" Eiji whines, looking for our fuku-buchou and friend.

"Saa… he said that Monomi-buchou wanted to talk with him, so he'd be late." Fuji explains, seeing how he is Oishi's roommate.

Ten minutes pass and Oishi arrives, making Eiji stop pouting and start eating. We all wonder aloud about the pool and beach tennis training. It takes awhile, but we think that we're going to play singles in the pool and try to keep the ball from hitting the water. For beach tennis, it's probably going to be power training with making the ball bounce on the sand.

Either way, I groan because I'm the shortest, lightest, and weakest player on the team. With that being said, I take pride in being one of the smartest, fastest, and most skillful of the team. Still, the prospect of me being in chest-deep water to play singles versus everyone else in waist-deep doesn't seem appealing.

We make our way to the pool and buchou explains what today's activities are. After getting warmed-up sufficiently, we each pull out a number from a bag. Everyone will be participating, so it's even. When I reach in, I pull out the number 3.

Looking around I try to find who has the number four since I'll be playing him. Fuji has 5, Oishi has 7, Inui has 2, Eiji has 6, Momo has 1, and Kaidou has 8. So, that leaves Buchou with the 4. I sweat drop since I kind of know how Buchou plays, but it's more of the fact that he's a head taller than me.

Buchou makes Momo and Inui get into the pool to start the first round. After five rounds, where when the ball touches the water the round ends, players will switch out with the next two numbers.

Already Momo is pumped up and ready to go. Losing to Inui isn't an option, so he throws the ball up and has little difficulty serving it. Inui doesn't have to moves much, so the return is easy. However, Momo soon finds out how difficult it is to move in the water to get to the ball. Inui also comes to the same conclusion when he fails to retrieve the deep shot.

Even from watching them I know that I'm going to have a hard time with this. Buchou looks stoic, so I can't tell what he's thinking. Fuji on the other hand looks like he's trying to devise a plan since he's only a few inches taller than I am.

"Alright, next two go in!" Buchou says while tagging out Inui. Sighing, I get in the pool and tag Momo out. He pats me on the back and tells my good luck.

Buchou makes me serve first and he returns it easily. Instead of trying to beat each other we go into long rallies. I see that the point of all this is to improve speed, muscle strength, and to utilize our full arm strength. When it goes on for long enough, even though we hardly miss the ball, he makes us switch out.

Fuji smiles when he goes in, realizing exactly what I had. Eiji catches on after the first rally, but it's easier for him to move in the water than Fuji since he's an acrobatic player and already has a lot of leg strength.

After everyone has their turn in the pool, we head down to the beach to see a couple sand courts already set up. Again, the motive behind sand training is to improve our speed, leg muscles, and coordination. This time when we draw for spots I'm paired up with Inui. Although I'm not thrilled, he helps me become a better player by giving me pointers here and there.

It's not too long after that we break for lunch and then continue with the hard-day regimen. We pair off and I'm partners with Kaidou this time, seeing as he's another power hitter. Putting on my weights, Inui makes me start off at thirty again. This time he says that he's going to increase our weights by two pounds after every station.

Throwing off my weights for our ten minute break in between sessions, I count the weights to see how many pounds I have on. Gaping, I see that there's fifty-four pounds on. I hardly noticed when it got heavier until I reached the third hour and at forty-six pounds. Evidently I'm getting a bit stronger every day. It won't be until tomorrow though that we can play without our weights on.

With my weights back in place, we finish up the last hour of training for the day by playing matches. I'm not sure how, but towards the end of the hour we all were playing four versus four with two balls on one court. The insane game only ended when Fuji and I happened to use two moves at the same time that caused the balls to collide and fly out of the court.

Of course, this caused a riot to ensue all the way until dinner time. Fuji and I just laughed at everyone else and made our way to the dining hall. Grabbing a plate, we each put on a sandwich, chips, and take a bottle of water. Sitting down, we talk about what we're going to do tomorrow. Obviously we're going to play tennis, but Eiji and Oishi want to go swimming one more time. I can tell that Fuji wants to go to the beach once more, because he has his thinking face on.

Near the end of dinner Buchou gives us the 'tomorrow is the last day of camp' speech and then we were all allowed to go out. Eiji somehow manages to glomp all of us at once and, with the help of Momo, gets us into the pool. Well, everyone except Inui and Buchou. I think that they're discussing our progression and what might happen tomorrow.

"Hoi! Let's all play Marco Polo!" Eiji suggests.

Of course, everyone immediately says not it, so Eiji's it. The game keeps going on and on until Oishi finally lets Eiji tag him. From there Kaidou, Momo, and Eiji again gets tagged. When it starts getting late Fuji and I get up to leave. Eiji whines about how we're too good and we just laugh. Fuji and I go our ways, knowing that we'll see each other later tonight.

After Eiji falls asleep and coach comes by the room, I slip out the window early to practice a couple new moves I'd dreamt about the night before. Fuji doesn't arrive until eleven, so I had a whole hour to myself until we start our doubles training.

At the end of our practice we sit on the bench like usual. I wonder silently if our plan will really work out when it all comes down to it. We're practicing hard and strategizing whenever we can, but I know that it's not enough yet.

"Don't worry so much; it's only the first week." Fuji says, already knowing me as well as I know myself.

"Try telling that to my brain." I chuckle, knowing that I'm probably just nervous. We did work hard tonight.

"Saa…do you want to hear about the schools I played against in middle school?" I grin and say yes, since he hardly talks about his middle school matches.

He talks about the different schools he's faced, people he met and liked, and others he didn't. Mostly, it's the matches that got him worked up, especially when he lost. It's almost as if he's trying to analyze himself and see what he has to do to become a better player. It makes me admire him even more.

"Ne, would you like to spy on those schools?" He grins and so do I. We both know that a lot more goes on than just tennis and Fuji loves his blackmail.

"Well, since we'll need a place to practice doubles, I know the perfect one." I tell him, explaining where we can go and play against others as well. He smiles and becomes excited as well.

"Have you ever been to the museum near there?" He asks me. I frown and tell him that I haven't been much of anywhere really. He tells me about it and we make plans to train, spy, and go places during summer. I can tell that this is the first time he's been excited in a long time.

"Well, I'm going to go get that extra hour of sleep you promised me tonight, so see you in the morning!" I grab the heavy bag and return to my room. Once again I'm unaware of the sharp blue eyes that watch me as I do so.

Fuji wonders for a small moment why it's become so easy to open up to me. He hardly has to keep up any pretenses and is able to relax almost completely. Another heavy heartbeat thumps against his chest as he watches me slide in through the window. For a moment he thinks he sees the shadow of some curves, but just blames it on the moonlight.

After a few more quiet minutes alone he decides it's best to go to sleep as well since the rest of the guys will be ready to face off tomorrow without the weights on. Fuji wonders how much weight I have on since he has 95 pounds on currently and I'm smaller than him. Shrugging, he tells himself that he'll find out in the morning and tease me then.

**AN: Okay, so if you haven't seen my profile for the updates for the story check it out. Also, anyone who reviews between now and May 1****st**** I'll enter you in a random contest to win chapter 17 a day or two early. So, you can PM with your email (be sure to review) or I'll send it to you on here in a couple installments (since I write long). Hope you enjoyed!**


	17. Summer Spying and Hiding

Morning comes and I never seem to be ready for it. Luckily, it's an easy day today. First breakfast, then two hours of tennis matches with no weights followed by two hours of relaxation. Right after lunch we're packing up and heading back.

Making sure that all of my things are together, I drag a hyper Eiji down to breakfast. If his energy has anything to say at all about anyone feels, it's a madhouse right now. Momo and Kaidou are fighting any chance they get, Fuji's teasing Oishi, and Inui's threatening everyone with Inui Juice. Yep, quite a crazy day.

"Everyone, please remove your weights now." Buchou says while sliding off his own bands. As a group, we are let them drop at the same time to make a loud thump. I look over at Fuji's and nearly pout. His puff of smoke is almost twice as big as mine!

"Saa, how much weight did you have on?" He asks with a polite smile in place for now.

"Fifty." I mumble, now glaring at his weights.

"Really? Mine's nearly a hundred." He smirks triumphantly and I fume. "Well, it's probably because you're so girly."

If my eyes were open and could shoot daggers, he'd be dead. "You want to try that again?" I ask threateningly.

He smirks to let me know that he's not done teasing me. "Well, you _do_ have thin wrists and ankles. Not to mention that you're so short. Are you _sure_ you're not a girl?"

Even though he's teasing me I can't help but feel nervous. Could it seriously be _that_ obvious that I'm a girl? This only reinforces the notion that he really does know, but doesn't want to say it.

"Anyways we better start our matches before Buchou makes us run laps." He says before walking calmly to face Kaidou in his first match.

It's also times like these that reinforce the other notion that he's a blind tensai. Finally making my way over to the courts, we begin our matches. Right off the bat I notice how light my body feels and how much power I'm putting into my hits. Even though it's not enough to do much damage, it's a start.

After a couple hours of matches Eiji tries to drag me into the pool, but I escape with the 'I have to use the bathroom' technique. When he's not looking anymore, I quickly make my way to the beach and meet up with Fuji.

"Hey." I greet while making my way to sit next to him in the sand and he smiles back. We talk a little more about the next camp and make plans for when we're going to go traveling around Japan. Of course we're not going too far away, but it's exciting nonetheless.

Before getting up to head back to the building, Fuji takes the time to tease me once more about my slim physique. Once again I let my anger get the best of me and end up chasing him halfway back. Laughing, we enter the dining hall and eat our lunches.

"Well team, it was a great camp. Remember that our next one isn't until the end of August, so make sure that you keep training the rest of this month and next. Don't fall behind." Buchou keeps the lectures short and sweet. We're all pretty tired from the "week" and the bus ride home is unusually quiet. With the promise from Fuji to spend our summer together, the rest of July and August shouldn't be boring.

***Time skip to the end of August, the day before school begins again, so Sunday, August 28***

Tomorrow is the first day back at school. Already Buchou's going to train us hard for the Tokyo Prefecture in the next two weeks. Competition looks fierce from what Fuji and I saw over summer. I'm also guessing why this past training camp was twice as difficult as the first one. Really, I don't think Buchou needs to worry too much, but if anything we'll take down some schools for sure.

Like planned, Fuji and I saw each other just about every day. Even Kirin-nii began to like him and their teasing efforts never ceased on our morning runs. Rei-chan enjoyed having him over every now and then as well. Her pregnancy is coming along nicely and we're expecting the baby sometime in mid-December.

As far as training went, Fuji liked the secret facility I found. Many people gave us advice on doubles and we progressed a lot on our new moves and formations. Really, I think that we'll blow people out of the water. When we played our first doubles game against kids from the street courts they were shocked. No one would say a word until after we left. It was strange, so I'm not sure if it was a good thing or not.

While under the guise of "college scouting" we were able to infiltrate many enemy schools. We looked at schools of course, but mainly we were spying on every player we could find. Oh, Inui would have loved to have come I'm sure. In fact, we nearly ran into him at one school. Here's what happened on our two week trip:

**Shitenhoji High: **1 day

Really, I didn't know what to expect from Shitenhoji other than they were one of the best in the region and a powerful competitor. I did expect there to be a level of discipline that our team never seems to care to master, but… that's completely _not_ what happened.

First off, when we arrived at the tennis courts there wasn't anyone there. Fuji said that they had practice for the next couple of days here and usually around this time. Hiding out, we wait about ten minutes before some guy with brown hair who comes running in at top speed, runs across some bleachers, and then jumps off of them yelling "Ahh… ecstasy!" Only afterwards he smacks his face into a tree branch.

Walking in behind him are two odd looking guys who rush over as soon as they see the ecstasy dude hit his head. They start spouting something about how "Daddy" will take care of you while "Mommy" goes to get some medical supplies. Another guy walks over and helps the man up. He starts talking about how he has to actually look where he's going or he'll run into the ocean like he did.

Already I'm starting to get weirded out by this team. Fuji tells me each of their names and what they're good at. Soon after are a few more guys and they all get changed to start practice. At first they don't look strong, but once one of them releases a special move all hell breaks loose. Looking at Fuji I can see that he looks impressed, but like he's expecting it. We watch them for a bit more and by the end of the day I want to punch the two baka's in the face. Luckily we leave before that happens.

**College searching: **1 day

**Rikkai Daigaku:** 1 day

While we were walking to this school someone who knows Fuji spotted us and invited us in. This time we were openly spying. While we were walking in though I noticed something odd about this guy; probably the fact that he acts a lot like Inui. When I asked him about it he smiled and said he would be joining us later. With a quick look to one another, Fuji and I decided to leave before he got there.

Walking in, I quickly noted that this bunch had a powerful aura. It's one that tells you to not mess with anyone for fear of getting killed. I look around once the guy named Yanagi left us at the benches. I asked Fuji about the guy who looked like a girl. He chuckled quietly and told me not to say that to his face. He told me about the recent tournaments he had been in and how he had demolished his opponents.

My eyes widened as I saw him walking closer to me. He greeted us and I couldn't help but notice how soft his voice was for a guy. He asked Fuji why he brought his girlfriend with him and we both coughed at that and denied it all. The buchou Yukimura, as I had found out, looked at me with that knowing eye. He only smirked at me before he left and I shivered.

As the training went on, Fuji pointed out Sanada to me and told me about the Big Three as we watched how much they had developed over the past year. Even that freshman, Kirihara I believe, seemed to be powerful. Although he was _extremely_ annoying in calling us a couple, his devil and angel modes were quite impressive and unique.

Just before we left, as we saw Inui coming in through the gates, this red-haired guy started freaking out at a taller white-haired player. He started yelling something about tricking him into eating something gross when he said it was candy. This made Sanada come over and slap them both while saying Tarundoro! I thought it was pretty strange and funny; even Fuji looked amused.

**College searching: **2 days

**Rokkaku:** 1 day

When we arrived at Rokkaku High, Fuji was singled out by someone he called Saeki. They chatted for a few minutes before he invited us to watch their practice and even play a friendly game with Fuji. This team was also full of old Rokkaku members. There was this freshman who wouldn't stop saying horrible puns. The team called him David, but I'm unsure why. Though he's really handsome like Fuji, I don't believe he's American. His senpai, Bane-san I think, kept hitting him on the head every time. I wonder if he makes bad puns because of the brain damage.

One guy actually looks more like a girl than Fuji and I do! He had long black hair all the way down to his back. Though he looks feminine, his Sky High Volley is really amazing. There were a couple of players Fuji didn't recognize as well, but that may just because not all of the team members who were from Rokkaku middle made it into the high school section.

Saeki came and sat down with us before practice. He told us that there was one third year left and he was his vice captain. Fuji told him of our Buchou and they both laughed. Saeki asked about Yuuta and how everything's going. He was surprised when he learned that things were getting better. When Fuji got up to get some drinks, Saeki looked at me and smiled. All he said was 'Thank you' but it was enough for me to realize that he knew. Really, is it that easy?

We didn't stay for too much longer and headed back to the hotel. That night in particular was interesting since Fuji had accidently opened _my_ luggage. He didn't go too far, but I'm extremely grateful that he didn't see the medicine I secretly take for my girl needs and those restricting shirts. He didn't seem to think anything of my strange behavior and we got ready to go to our next two colleges.

**College Searching:** 2 days

**Hyotin (High school section of Hyotei):** 1 day

When Fuji and I snuck into Hyotin, yes I do mean sneaking past the guards, what we saw was the exact opposite of what happened at the pre-district. Everything was turned around and the team was crushing another school. That guy, Atobe, kept referring to him as Ore-sama and ordering this _really_ tall, tanned-skin guy around. I think the only word he knows is 'usu'.

Either way, it was an entirely different team than before. Fuji said it was the exact team as Atobe had while in Hyotei. Really, I was quite shocked at how many non-tennis members where there to cheer on Hyotin. There had to be at least a couple hundred students.

On the court was a person called Oshitari. Fuji called him Hyotin's tensai and a man with 1,000 techniques. Watching him play I could see why that was. Not soon after were a couple more matches played by a doubles team of Hiyoshi and Otori. Really, I think that they could give the Golden Pair a run for their money… if they hadn't been upping their game all summer.

Like the other schools, these tennis players were also strange. Hiyoshi kept challenging his sempais and saying 'Gekokujo', making me think that he's arrogant. This one guy, Jiro I think, kept napping! He didn't even get up to play his match, because he took one look at the guy and said it was boring. Another player looked more acrobatic than Eiji! Although his acrobatic style is interesting to watch, his attitude makes me want to smack him.

Really, everything was going well until Atobe's guard spotted us. He brought us up to Atobe and then proceeded to make some snarky comments about how he's so awesome that we wanted to spy on his school and so on. Really, I wanted to tell him that it wasn't just his school, but Fuji cut me off and started to sweet talk him. We found out some interesting information regarding their training regimen and some info on other schools. Thanking him for his "sacred" time, we left quickly.

**St. Rudolph High: **1 day

Fuji seemed a little anxious when we got to St. Rudolph. When I asked him he revealed that Yuuta attends this school. Smiling, he asked me if I wanted to meet him and I happily agreed. It's not every day that you get to meet an almost-estranged brother of your best friend. Is best friend what I really consider Fuji? Yes, because anything else will ruin our friendship.

When we got to the tennis courts, Fuji spotted Yuuta easily. Really, the brothers look very similar, but I know enough not to tell either of them that. Yuuta likes his hair cut short while Fuji's is much longer. Still their fierceness and serious demeanor must be something that runs in the family.

Yuuta didn't seem too happy that we were there, but he wasn't mad about it either. He even smiled, much to Fuji's delight. Things were going good until he asked why Fuji brought me with him. Fuji looked at him strangely and asked when he started accusing boys of being female. He even asked if _he_ looked like a girl and Yuuta responded with a 'sometimes… you never know'. This made Fuji nearly elated to hear his brother joking with him.

Everything was going well until Fuji saw someone he knew. Rather, he saw someone he wanted to kill. Mizuki was his name and boy did he like me. He kept picking on me about my 'girlish features' and such until Fuji threatened to punch him in the face. He backed off and sneered back at Fuji. This, Fuji took in stride, because he knew he could beat him anytime, anywhere. Yuuta just seemed annoyed by the whole thing, so we chatted a bit about tennis while they played the staring game.

The rest of the team came out soon after and I had to rub my eyes a couple of times. Seriously, I thought I was imagining things, because I swore I saw that Kisarazu guy before at Rokkaku. When I confronted Fuji about this, I demanded to know why he had suddenly changed schools and cut his hair. Fuji laughed for a bit and said that the two are twins. Silently, I wondered where my brain had gone.

We stayed until practice had finished and had an early dinner with Yuuta at a restaurant nearby. Fuji pestered him about coming home more often, making sure that Mizuki wasn't telling him lies, and that he thinks his tennis is impressive. Really, I thought it was too, but I guess I was too stubborn to say it. Needless to say, Fuji was sad to leave Yuuta after dinner, but I dragged him back to the hotel. Really, Kirin-nii and Rei-chan spoil me too much.

**College searching: **2 days

**Fudomine High:** 1 day

Fuji and I were in for a surprise when we arrived at Fudomine. We didn't see them at the pre-district, but Fuji said that's not unusual. However, what was surprising was that the Two Wings of Kyushu were reunited. Tachibana was more than welcoming and Senri was really nice as well. The two seemed the happiest they've ever been. Evidently, Senri had just transferred this year.

The rest of the team seemed to have accepted Senri. Many of them even chatted with Fuji. Kamio, who's quite temperamental, asked about Kaidou and 'that bike thief'. Fuji explained that Momo stole his bike to catch a thief. He also whispered to me that he had a crush on An, Tachibana's sister. She came not long after and Kamio was already on her. She paid no mind and chatted with us as well. When she asked about Momo Fuji said that he was crushing like always.

Ishida, a Hadoukyu user, asked about Kawamura and how he's doing in the sushi shop. Before he left to start training, he gave me a small smile. It kind of weirded me out, but I quickly shook it off when Fuji asked me if something was wrong. Really, either guys just aren't as clueless as I'd thought or I'm getting worse at keeping my identity hidden.

Before we left to go back to our hotel, Tachibana asked to talk to me. Fuji didn't seem to mind and went to go talk to some other players. He gave me the 'knowing' talk and said that I couldn't fool him, seeing as he has a younger sister himself. When he asked me about why I told him it was because I was new to the public system and needed a better challenge. I also told him that I'm already better than the girls, but if he didn't believe me then to watch one of my matches. He seemed to accept that and let me go.

**College searching: **1 day

***end 2 weeks***

***Start school year***

The first week of school was awful. Buchou made us run, play hard with weights, and practice anything and everything. The second week was better, but the last three days were… well, interesting I could say.

Wednesday, three days before the Tokyo Prefectural Tournament, I'm practicing a couple new moves I'd developed over the summer with Fuji. It's after school and at a secluded training facility so no one can know what we're doing. It's going well, as our formations are now near-perfect and our techniques are proving to be devastating.

Fuji's techniques are evolving into something more fearsome. The regular tennis members don't want to play against us anymore, but are happy to help develop some of our newer moves and formations. Really, I take this as a good thing and so does Fuji. I think he's become more relaxed around the idea of playing doubles with me.

Thursday is when everything started to become more interesting. We have tennis practice in the morning, so Fuji and I are practicing our regular and fully-developed new moves without the weights. Momo asks for a match against me and I gladly accept. Fuji is the referee and it was a close game. If I hadn't put on an extra ten pounds the last two weeks of summer and camp, then I think Momo would've strained my muscles.

Practice ended early and I decided that I should take a shower. Now, I normally don't shower at school, but it was really sunny and I was still sweating. So, I take the extra clothes out of my locker and place them on the bench with my towel. When I get into the shower I strip off the rest of my clothes and throw them on the floor by the bench.

Turning the cool water on, I sigh at the steam rising. I spend a good five minutes in the shower before I hear "Inui", something crashing, a few curses, and stomping. When I'm about to turn off the shower the lights go off. I yell for someone to turn them back on and someone does. Finishing my shower, I reach out for my towel and grab it. Once I'm finished drying off, I reach for my clothes but only find a cold metal bench.

Panicking, I yell for Eiji. The third time I yell it he's by the shower curtain. I ask him where my clothes are and he says that Momo accidently drank some of Inui's water bottle full of Inui juice and knocked over the open bottle onto my clothes.

I stick my head out of the curtain and ask him what I'm going to wear then since I don't have my Regular warm-ups. Eiji's eyes grow wide and he searches through his locker for something. Soon he hands me his Regular's jacket. I put it on and since it's a large, it falls to the tops of my thighs. I'm pretty sure no one can see the front side, but I feel as if my butt's going to be exposed if I so much as bend over. Without any underwear on it's even worse!

He asks me if I'm okay and I figure it's safe to show him that it looks like an extremely short dress. He blushes when he sees me and I tell him the length isn't really the problem. How am I going to get out of the school without anything on underneath? The jacket covers my chest, so I don't have to worry about that.

Unfortunately, the changing rooms are still unlocked so in walks Oishi. He asks why we're still in here and stops before he gets to the next sentence. Looking at me, he seems to come to the same conclusion as Eiji. He's blushing, stammering, and looking anywhere but at me. Sighing, I ask him if he has some shorts I can borrow. He quickly rummages through his locker and blindly throws me a pair. Stepping behind the shower curtain once more, I slip them on.

When I emerge again, Eiji and Oishi are talking quietly. I take Oishi over and tell him the same thing that I told Eiji. He seems to be just as understanding and promises to keep my secret, even though he hates lying to people. I tell him that it's not lying if they don't ask 'Is Kinta a girl'. He seemed to like that.

I told Oishi and Eiji to tell Fuji that I was skipping school today since I couldn't find anything to wear. They understood that I could me found out if I went to the nurse to get extra clothes while looking like this. So, I promised to see them tomorrow morning for practice and left to go home.

That night I get endless texts from Fuji, making sure that I got the homework, that I'm not sick, and pestering me why I didn't come to class. I made up some excuse and he didn't seem to fully trust it, but he did.

Friday morning I was attacked by Momo about ruining my clothes. I tried to deny it, but he wouldn't have anything of it. Instead, at the end of practice, he slipped me a note to meet him behind the school, by the basketball courts since there's no tennis practice in the afternoon. When I got there, an angry Momo wasn't what I was expecting.

"What I wasn't expecting was one of my friends and teammates to be lying to my face."

**Congrats to Lone Panda who won the early addition. If you want the chance to be entered to win an early addition just review!**


	18. Prefecture

"Momo…" I begin, walking towards him from my spot near the wall of the basketball courts.

"Save it." His expression shows a lot of anger, but mostly betrayal. Maybe I hurt him more than Eiji thought I would. "Really, explain to me why my sister asked me if I was dating An yet since _this_," he throws down my special shirt that I use to restrain my chest in the dirt, "was in the wash."

"Momo, there's a good reason-" I start, but he cuts me off. It seems like he's really taking this to heart even though we're not that close.

"Oh, I'm _sure_ there are lots of good reasons for you to be lying to our faces, pretending to be our friend, and denying that you're a girl. Tell me, did you do it to get close to Fuji-sempai? Oh, or maybe Eiji-sempai since you too seem to be inseparable lately? I don't see how any of them could fall for you once you give up your disguise. It's disgusting what you're doing." He seethes. I had no idea that Momo could react this way to anything.

"Momo, it's the day before the prefecture, so can't this wait until after?" I try to compromise, seeing as I've been caught completely unaware and red-handed. Though, from the glare he's giving me it seems like it has to be now.

Sighing, I start explaining. I tell him how I never had any friends when I was younger and always loved tennis. I explain how hard I worked to be able to come to this school and be on one of the best tennis teams in Japan. Even after all of that I explain why I had to cover up my identity, because I wanted to become stronger and challenge myself.

At some point near the end of my rant Momo seemed to have softened up slightly. Well, I suppose it's more of an understanding, but it's obvious that he didn't like it.

"I don't like it; I don't like it at all." He says with the frown still evident on his face. Well, I guess I nailed _that_ on the head. "If you're really being serious, then prove it to me. Prove to me that you're a worthy teammate and then… well, I don't know if I can trust you again."

"I understand Momo." I pick up my shirt from the ground and walk to get the rest of my clothes with my regular jersey from the bench behind him. I pause as I walk past him toward the gates of the school.

"I'm sorry, Momo, I never meant to hurt anyone." I walk past him and don't look back.

Momo stands there for a few more minutes, trying to figure out if it was the right thing to do. He doesn't want to get the others involved if he has to, but the situation is just so strange. How can he trust someone who won't tell him who she really is? Then again, is she all that different from the teammate he knew?

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Momo walks away from the courts and out of the school. If he had looked back at all, he would've seen the gleam of a pair of glasses from a bush nearby the basketball courts he was just at. The man in the bush grins wolfishly while muttering his favorite phrase "Iie… data".

I wake up early in the morning after the restless sleep I had. September's cool breeze wafts in from my open window and I welcome it. Checking the time, I easily get out of bed and start my morning routine. The tournament doesn't start until nine and I don't have to be there until eight, but that doesn't stop me from leaving early anyways.

Call it nerves or whatever else, but this should be my first time actually playing for my school. I'm scheduled for singles two again with buchou in singles three and Fuji in singles one. The tournament should be interesting and we play four different schools. A feeling in the pit of my stomach tells me that we'll be up against two different schools since we made it past the preliminary rounds. It's a weird setup this year from what I've been hearing.

After the long walk to the tournament site, I can see that the scoreboards are already up. We're up against St. Rudolph High first and if we win that we're against either Fudomine High or Hyotin. Really, I'm rooting for Fudomine since Atobe seems like a pompous ass.

It's not too long before students from Kuragaku start showing up along with a few regulars. Many girls swarm Eiji and Oishi as they enter the area and the two try to fight them off. Not long after Fuji arrives and almost twice as many girls try to tackle him down. Instead of fighting them off, he acts like he doesn't even notice them and heads straight towards me.

"Kinta! I thought nee-chan told you we were picking you up?" He asks, concerned that he hadn't been clear enough.

"Oh? Oh, no Shusuke. I woke up early, so I just left." I finish lamely. Really, I had forgotten all about Yumiko taking us both to the tournament.

"Ahh… so you were meeting someone here then?" He asks, sadistic smile in place. I know he's playing, but I have the sneaking suspicion that if I play along I might get a reaction out of him.

"Of course." I reply, watching his reaction carefully from behind my sunglasses. My intuition didn't fail me; Fuji's eyes widened for a few seconds and flashed with a bit of anger… or jealously? What would he need to be jealous over? Of course, I wouldn't know that he's thinking that either I was meeting with a girl or another tennis player. Then the strangest feeling comes over him whenever he thinks about it.

I smirk and reply when he opens his mouth. "You, stupid." He closes his mouth quickly and smirks back at me.

"You better be careful, because you know they don't call me the tensai for nothing."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah and I don't call you Shusuke for nothing."

Of course, this is our usual banter and teasing. We both know that he won't try any more of his sadistic tricks on me and I won't stand for it if he does. He learned that the hard way.

More groups of tennis players start piling into the tennis park and I notice a familiar shade of brown amongst the St. Rudolph players. Nudging Fuji towards where Yuuta is entering, I call his name and wave. He looks over and gives us a serious smile with a nod. Fuji smiles his normal 'big brother smile'. He knows we're playing them first, which brings about a bit of tension I suppose.

"Ne, Kinta…" He says quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Yuuta plays singles two."

"Ah." Oh, so I'm going to be playing Yuuta? As much as I like him I'm not going to go easy on him.

He turns and looks at me seriously. "Don't lose."

I smirk back. "Since when do I lose?" He lets out a quiet chuckle, but I know he's worried about his brother. Really, I don't know that Fuji's worrying about _both_ of us. He doesn't want to see either of us lose, but that's inevitable.

He shrugs. "Who knows?"

Buchou shows up with coach and we all sign in. Since we're one of the first teams playing we immediately get on the court and start to warm up. On the other side we see St. Rudolph doing the same. It's evident that no one's going to give in and it'll be a tough game all around.

"Both teams, line up!" The referee calls out and the first round begins.

First match: Doubles 2: Momo and Kaidou vs. Yanagisawa and Kisarazu

Result: Win for St. Rudolph (They've overcome Momo's dunk smash, jack knife, and Kaidou's snake.)

Second match: Singles 3: Inui vs. Mizuki

Result: Win for Kuragaku (Inui's data tennis overcomes Mizuki's.)

Third match: Doubles 1: Golden Pair vs. Kaneda and Akazawa

Result: Win for Kuragaku

At this time, right before my match, we're leading 2-1. We have to play all of the games, but I want to show what I'm made of.

I walk up to shake Yuuta's hand. "Good luck Fuji Yuuta."

He grunts and shakes my hand. "Don't expect me to go easy now." I only smirk in response.

The match begins with my serve. Without the weights, the serve is a lot faster than usual, but he's ready. The first set is a lot of back and forth with it ending in my favor. The next I start to break out my moves and so does he. I don't pull out anything new yet, because I'm saving them for the Nationals when we make it. No if about it.

Second and third set go to him, but I pick up the fourth and fifth. One more set and I'll have secured our victory over St. Rudolph. I can tell Yuuta's working hard to keep up with my improved speed and increasingly difficult shots. However, he does something that might change the whole game.

"Take this!" he slams his racket against my ball and it flies right back towards me. Although it's not fast, it's at least twice as much power as I usually put into my shots. I try to hold my weight against it and return it, but my grip is slowly loosening. Within the next few seconds, my wrists give and the ball goes past, giving him the first point of the last set.

I stand there, looking at my wrists. They're shaking and so are my legs. Just how tired am I? I'm not breathing too fast, but my body is shaking. Looking back at Yuuta I can tell that it's what he wanted to happen.

"I call it 'The Paralyzer' and it's tailored especially for your type of build." He smiles, evidently pleased.

I pick up my fallen racket and return to my position. He serves again and I manage to use my 360 shot to get past him. It was lucky since he was too close to the net. He gets another two balls past me. At this point, I can admit that I'm nervous. I don't want to go into another set; I just want to end it.

So, I'm going to try something I've only thought about: playing two handed. I'll need to if I want to return his heavy hits. So when he serves, I use my flash stance and send him running to the other side. Of course, he hits heavily and this time, I send it flying straight at him. Using it this way, I can only send the ball right back, because I haven't practiced it at all. Fortunately, the ball hits his racket and bounces out of bounds.

I smirk. Two more returns like that and I'll win. The second time I use it, he can't get out of the way fast enough, so I get the point. The last time though, he returns it. I'm not completely unprepared, but it's a lob. What can I do to return something like that?

Well… I could always run to the back and use one of the three original triple counters Fuji taught me. Surprising everyone, and myself, the ball just barely lands in and I win the match 6 games to 2.

Walking up to him, I stick out my hand. "Good game."

He looks at me for a long second. "You have more. Why?"

I make a small smile. "Surprise. Had me close there last set though."

"Yeah, I can take that. Next time though, I'll have you."

He shakes my hand and Fuji walks up beside me to give us both a proud smile. Yuuta smiles awkwardly and shoves him away, mumbling something about Fuji being too caring. I look at Fuji uncertainly, but he smiles a real smile; one that tells me that did well. Somehow, I felt better when he did that than when I had won the match.

We all sit and watch Fuji destroy Nomura. Afterwards, we all line up and then are released for a lunch break. Before eating, we catch the last bit of Fudomine and Hyotin's match. Surprisingly, Hyotin was leading 3 to 1. Atobe is up for the last game and is playing a fierce game against Ishida. It's like he's a totally different person. It seems like he had been holding back.

"Come on, let's get some food." Momo says, dragging Kaidou off and starting a brawl in the process.

"Mou… I want to watch the end!" Eiji whines.

"Maa… we all know who's going to win." Oishi says, even though he doesn't want to believe it.

"Mmm… no sense in dwelling on it." Buchou says before walking away with Eiji and Oishi.

"Think you can beat him?" I ask Fuji, not giving away my worries.

He shrugs. "I'll have to or his ego will inflate his head so much it'll explode." He says it seriously and I let out a small chuckle as we walk away from the match.

After grabbing some lunch and chatting about the upcoming match, Momo pulls me off to the side. Fuji looks after me worried, but I motion to him that I'll be fine. He probably just wants to talk again.

"Yes?" I ask, patiently waiting for the tall power player to start speaking instead of looking everywhere but at me.

"So, after your match…" He trails off, obviously not expecting me to be as good as I am. "I'll admit that you're a pretty good player."

"Thank you-"

"But," He interrupts. "That doesn't mean I've forgiven you yet."

I smile reluctantly. "I didn't expect you too. However, I have to ask one question and want you to think seriously about it."

He eyes me, but nods anyway.

"Would you really willingly allow a girl to join the boy's tennis team and become a Regular?"

He opens his mouth, about to object, but then closes it again. Seemingly conflicted, I leave him to join the others at an open tennis court. Oishi and Eiji jump on me the moment I arrive, asking me what Momo wanted, but I just tell them that it was nothing. They seem to get the hint and nod expectantly. After all, everyone knows how moody Momo can be.

Coach has us gathered around for the line-up. This time it's Kaidou and Inui, Momo, Eiji and Oishi, Fuji, and Buchou. I nearly pout, seeing as I have to be the one to sit out the most it seems. Glancing at Buchou, I can see that he has a plan by the way that he's smirking.

Everyone lines up again to shake hands and start the matches. Atobe looks as arrogant as always and all the other players smirk in our direction from their side of the court. I frown, wondering why they're that pompous to think that they could beat us that easily. I'm sitting out, which sucks for me, but I wonder what Buchou has in mind.

"First match: Kaidou and Inui versus Mukahi and Oshitari."

Result: Hyotin wins. 1-0

"Next match: Momoshiro versus Akutagawa."

Result: Hyotin wins. 2-0

"Next match: Kikumaru and Oishi versus Otori and Shishido."

Result: Ties. Hyotin leads 2-0-1

"Next match: Fuji versus Atobe"

My eyes widen, as I see what Buchou did. He knew that Atobe wanted to play me, but he couldn't win himself, so he sent Fuji in my place. Evidently, Atobe wanted to break me. Good Kami! He's a national-level player and I'm just me. Surely I don't hold that much interest in him.

Atobe frowns when he sees that his plan has fallen through. Still, his ever-present smirk is there as he readies himself to face Fuji. Fuji also smiles in anticipation of playing against Atobe, the one who gave Tezuka a hard time at one point. He knows that Atobe has been training himself and his team something fierce, but so has he.

Result: Kuragaku wins. 2-1-1. The score ended 6 games to 4.

"Next match: Monomi versus Kabaji."

Result: Kuragaku wins. 2-2-1. This calls for a tie-breaker.

I perk up when I hear that the reserve player needs to come onto the court. Grinning, I pass by the guys and head out onto the court. There I face my opponent, Wakashi. We shake hands and I proceed to battle him out for the winning spot in the Prefecture.

Result: Kuragaku wins. 2-3-1. My score: 7-6.

Everyone lines up to shake hands and be dismissed. I know that we're all holding our breath in because as soon as we're dismissed Eiji and Oishi hoist me up into the air cheering. Hyotin was a tough challenge and most of us didn't expect it. If it weren't for Inui and upping our training menu at the last second, I don't think I could've survived that last match.

Oishi whispers me his worries, but says he's excited that we made it to the regionals. Momo gives me an approving glance while smiling and clapping me on the shoulder. Eiji won't stop glomping me and telling everyone that I'm amazing. Buchou nods in my direction. Kaidou hisses his thanks while Inui is still scribbling something in his notebook.

The one person who I want to see I can't get to, because we're all being herded into the ceremonies. It's not until after everyone leaves that I have a chance to meet up with him.

"Kinta, good job on the last set. I almost believed that you were out of stamina." Fuji smiles at me knowingly.

"Heh heh, yeah, well you know how I am." I respond, shyly looking away because I know that I should've lost that last set if it weren't for a small trip that actually gave my lob a little more distance for the finishing win.

He steps forward and I think that he's going to hug me. I start breathing harder and feel my face get slightly warmer. I can't help but wonder why this is all happening to me. It's Fuji for Kami's sake! This is my best friend. Seriously, something must be wrong with me if I'm starting to actually feel like I'm falling for my hot, talented best friend who doesn't know I'm even female.

My rant stops when his eyes open and he looks down curiously at me.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" I have a feeling that he asked that question once before.

"Of course! Let's go eat at Kawamura's to celebrate?" I know that it's his favorite place to eat, mine too, but it's tradition for Seigaku student's to celebrate there. Or at least Tezuka's team.

We all sit, eat, and retell the matches from today. After awhile though I start getting tired and Fuji offers to go with me since it's getting late. I smile inwardly because I know he's only doing it for me.

"So, regionals are in a month. Do you think we'll do well?" I ask, making light conversation.

"Mmm… most likely. You know, the Sunday after the tournament is Halloween." He glances at me.

"Really? I'll probably just stay in."

"Oh? You don't want to dress up and go to a party? There will be quite a few. You know, girls will be more than willing to get a piece of you." He jokes, but he has no idea.

"Haha, very funny. You know, I could say the same of you. Besides, there aren't any girls that I like." Whew, I managed to not lie at all in that sentence.

"Well, there is Nanami Akyo. She seems to be interested." Fuji seems nonchalant, but I know that there's a hidden meaning.

"No, not a chance. Besides, she's interested in _you_. If you forgot, she's part of your fan club."

He winces. Truthfully, Fuji doesn't like any girls at Kuragaku, but he has to keep up his charm somehow. Really, he doesn't want anyone near me; because he doesn't think any of them are worthy.

"Saa… well maybe you'll change your mind. Anyway, did you hear that the baseball club raised the most money over break for the school and won a trip to Florida for a week?"

I raise my eyebrows. "Why didn't we participate?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Buchou isn't into that sort of thing."

I grin. "Next year, we'll dominate. Won't we Shusuke?"

His eyes gleam in the lamp light. "Of course. The prize will be ours."

When we reach my house, I bid him good night and promise to meet up with him tomorrow afternoon to go over some history notes for our test on Tuesday. I can't help but think that in almost one month we'll be going to Kanto regionals.


	19. Kanto Tournament

A month has now passed since the Tokyo prefectural tournament. This weekend is the Kanto regional tournament and we're up against some fierce competition. Hopefully, all the hard core training Inui and Buchou put us through will be enough. The match against Hyotin really opened up our eyes to that fact.

Fuji and I were selected to represent Kuragaku in the selection for the tournament this weekend. We chatted along the way to the designated middle school and greeted players we knew. Once we were in Fuji and I were immediately led over to sit with another school.

"Oh, so the captain sent just two Regulars over then?" Saeki says, inquisitive as to why neither the Buchou nor fukubuchou were attending.

"Saa… both had something important come up. Besides, I thought you enjoyed my company." Fuji says, fake hurt lacing his voice.

Saeki blinks and laughs. "Of course! It's just not a sight one usually sees. Anyway, did you hear about the two newcomers who beat Midoriyama and Josei Shonan this year?"

"Eh?" This peaks Fuji's interest. From what I've heard, they're tough schools to beat.

"Mmm. Evidently both schools have foreigners as coaches, so they've developed some new techniques."

"Sounds like something Inui would be interested in finding out." I mumble.

Both Fuji and Saeki chuckle at my comment, knowing full well that the data user wouldn't waste a heartbeat before going off to research.

Saeki frowns. "Still, it worries me when there are _two_ newcomers. Something just doesn't sit right with me."

"Mmm. Well, it's not our place to dwell on it, so there's only one thing we can do." Fuji says expertly. "Crush them." His blue eyes flash with malice.

Saeki sighs lightly. "I suppose so."

I smirk. "At least there's better competition now."

Saeki glances at me and smirks a little. "We'll see. Just because they beat two well-known schools doesn't mean they're good competition."

Fuji nods and opens his mouth to comment, but the hosting school's coach interrupts him.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." He begins and my face heats up a little. "Please remember to have cell phones off while the selection process is taking place. Also, remember your school number and opponent. If everyone is present we will now begin."

Of course, no one would be late to this very important meeting.

The doors slam open and a boy not much bigger than me walks through. His face is set in a care-free way, eyes closed, and ear buds in place. The boy's dark blue hair is short and spiked up in the front a bit. His hands are shoved into his pants pockets and an aura of power surrounds him.

When he reaches the first step and misses, causing him to tumble half-way down the stairs, he loses every coolness point he had just earned.

"Honaru-sama!" An older boy calls, just arriving at the double doors.

The boy, Honaru-san I suppose, gets up from the spot he tumbled to and greets the man at the doors.

"Yo! What took you?" He calls back. The older boy ignores his question and runs effortlessly down the stairs to reach the smaller one.

"You shouldn't have gone that far ahead of me like that. You know how you get when you do." The older one chastises.

"Hai hai. Well, let's hurry this thing up." The smaller one walks down to a row about ten feet in front of us with the older one in tow.

The man on the stage coughs. "Well, now that everyone who wishes to participate is here, we'll begin. When I call out the school please have a representative claim it, so that a number will be given."

We're down to the last four schools when I hear ours called out.

"Present." Fuji says, standing up. The guy up front nods and allows Fuji to walk down and grab a number.

"7." Fuji nods and walks back up when the man calls out another school. "Wakashi Academy."

The older guy nudges the smaller, younger one to wake him up. "Oh?" That's all he says before he walks down, passing Fuji along the way, and grabs his number.

"8." Fuji's eyes, as well as my own, flash to the pair below us. The smaller one has his cool aura back and is sending a smirk towards us as he takes his seat.

"Try not to faint." Is all he says before the last two numbers are taken and they walk out. This time the smaller one doesn't trip, fall, or do anything embarrassing. In fact, he's acting a bit intimidating.

"Oh, Saeki-san," I start, turning to look at the Rokkaku captain. "Who are you up against first?"

"Eh? Oh, that smug bastard Atobe's team." He replies.

I frown. "Yeah, I still can't believe they made runner-up."

"Mmm," Fuji agrees. "It was definitely unexpected with how they played."

"That's true and by the looks of things if you beat this Wakashi school then you'll face Kyouyou if they win as well." Saeki says as we make our way out of the auditorium.

"Saa… then if we beat them, we're against Rikkai Dai, and then your team. That is, if you aren't beaten by that other new team." Fuji smirks, challenging Saeki.

"Oh, I'd be more worried about your own Fuji. After all, did you see that guy's aura and demeanor change when the bigger one came in?" Saeki questions.

"Hmm… yeah. It was like something within him clicked." I say, adding in my concern.

"Mmm… could mean trouble, or… it could mean an easy win." Fuji smirks.

Saeki only shrugs. "I guess we'll find out soon enough. Remember, they changed the first two matches to Friday and the last two for Saturday."

"Eh? Since when?" Really, had I zoned out that much during the speech?

"Saa… you need to quit day dreaming so much Kinta-kun." I glare playfully at Fuji when he says this, missing Saeki's thoughtful expression.

"Ah, well I have to be going. Ja ne!" Saeki says as he heads the opposite direction from us as we wave towards him.

He turns to me, smiling lightly. "Since we have the rest of today off before tennis practice, why don't we get some lunch?"

I give him a quick smile. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

As we start walking towards the town center where there are lots of restaurants my mind starts to wander. We go out quite often and most of the time it's just the two of us. I know for a fact that Fuji likes girls… and I'm a girl… but he doesn't know that. Maybe guys just do this a lot… eat I mean, together. Still… I don't recall Eiji and Oishi going out _this_ much. Maybe I should just stop trying to analyze this.

"Kinta… Earth to Kinta!" Fuji says while waving a hand in my face.

"Eh? Oh, gomen Shusuke I was thinking."

He chuckles. "Ah, I can see that. Don't worry too much about the matches; we'll beat them no matter what."

I look at him for a moment, slightly dazed. Then, I remember that he's talking about tennis. Duh… of course he is! His whole life revolves around tennis and so does mine. Well, at least that's what I think.

"Right, so let's eat and get back to training for the tournament on Friday." I say before quickly covering up my heated face with a menu. Really, since when do I get embarrassed around Fuji?

Two days have come and gone. Since our matchup is with a new school we've been training like crazy. Inui hasn't been able to get any information on the team which is extremely frustrating. Basically, we're starting the tournament off blind.

"Alright guys, the line up for today will be: Momo and Kaidou, Inui, Eiji and Oishi, Me, and Fuji." Buchou announces to us. I fume silently at not being able to play in the first round of the tournament.

As if on cue, Buchou looks at me. "You're going to be our secret weapon since no one really knows what you play like. Aside from that, if we need a tie-breaker you're a sure win. Next half we'll switch you in."

Sighing, I nod my head. I know that since I'm small (thank my girl body) and not as powerful as the guys are that I shouldn't be too down. At least I have a lot of skill and flexibility to make up for it.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder I look up to Fuji. He smiles, knowing exactly what I'm thinking probably. "Saa… don't give up just because you haven't hit your growth spurt yet." I think for a moment and then realize what he's saying.

"You jerk!" I yell at him with a scowl on my face. He only laughs and watches me storm off to another area of the tennis tournament.

Frustrated, I find an open half-court and begin to pound mindlessly away at the backboard. Between every couple of hits I mumble incoherent things about Fuji; mostly, how insensitive he is and his stupid sadistic nature.

After awhile I hear giggling from behind me. I resist the urge to groan knowing that it's probably some fan girls from around the area coming to watch me brood. Why do they like me anyways? I'm just a girl in disguise as a boy.

Still brooding, I pick up my tennis ball and head over to where my team's first match is. As I'm heading there I see a familiar mop of brown hair and gorgeous striking blue eyes. I give a small smile and am about to yell out to Fuji when I see what's making him laugh and have his eyes open.

There's a girl there, a little taller than me, with sleek black hair, large purple eyes, and a nice figure. I close my mouth in a tight line and narrow my eyes to glare at her. How dare this girl just walk up to Fuji like that and get his head out of the game! I thought Fuji hated fan girls… though, he is a boy and I suppose a girl as beautiful as her would have his full attention.

Sighing, I turn to walk adjacent to the couple and keep my eyes downcast. It hurts me when I see Fuji with other girls, especially ones who are really beautiful. I know that I'm pretending to be a boy at the moment, but the pang in my chest won't lessen. I wonder if I should just tell Fuji the truth that I'm a girl playing on the boys' team and his best friend. Frowning, I push the thought away since after Fuji knows he'll hate me. Everyone's eyes on the team tell me so, or at least those who know I'm a girl, but no one will actually say it.

I make my way to the stands to drop off my tennis bag and take a seat. Not a minute later Fuji comes around the other corner and takes a seat next to me. He saw a flash of purple disappear by the stands and broke off his conversation with the girl to come find me. Though, I'd never know that because I was trying hard to avoid and ignore him.

Fuji doesn't understand that I'm upset about him being with another girl. He thinks that I met up with another school and some players picked on me or something. Really, he has no idea what's going on, but I'm ignoring him and he doesn't like it. At all.

Soon, the first round starts and the scores are pretty good for the first three matches. Both doubles teams won, but Inui lost. Buchou's match just finished and he lost the tiebreaker making the score 2-2. Fuji's up next and he goes into the match very angry

Needless to say, the poor captain, who's very skilled as long as his team is around, was no match for the hurricane named Fuji Shusuke. To say the least, the small captain has a good arsenal to use, but against an angry Fuji there's no chance of winning.

"Kuragaku wins and moves on! Players shake hands." The referee yells and we all do so. We're given a fifteen minute reprieve before we move on to our next opponent, Kyouyou. Fuji tries to talk to me again, but I only give him a side glance. True, it's very childish of me to do the 'silent treatment' but I like him too.

Well… of course I like him, but I mean I'm starting to love him, my best friend. Someone who doesn't even like me in that way or even knows that I'm not a boy. Seriously… what's wrong with me? How stupid is that to fall in love with your best friend… who thinks you're a guy.

The fifteen minutes is up and we're lined up against Kyouyou. After shaking hands, we get right into the battle.

Doubles 2: Hamamoto and Okabayashi versus Inui and Kaidou. Kuragaku wins 1-0

Singles 3: Nakazato Keita versus Monomi-buchou. Kyouyou wins 1-1

Doubles 1: Odagiri and Isozaki versus Eiji and Oishi. Kuragaku wins 2-1.

Singles 2: Tomoki Sakairi versus Momo. Kuragaku wins 3-1.

Singles 1: Automatic loss for Kyouyou.

Everyone chats about how Wakashi Academy used some strange new skills from Europe. Still, their captain wasn't any match for Fuji. I'm almost glad I didn't have to go in Inui's place because the guy he played was a power hitter.

After finding out that we're going to play Rikkai Dai tomorrow, we all agree to meet up at eight in the morning to get some practice in before our match at ten. I mumble a good bye to everyone and get into the car that Rei-chan drove to get me.

"You didn't have to do this you know." I say while looking out of the passenger window.

"I know, but I usually don't get a chance to even pick you up after your games. Would you like to see if Shusuke-kun wants a ride?" She asks brightly, not even seeing my grouchy mood.

"No, he'll be fine." I say shortly, not wanting to be near him for the rest of the day.

Rei finally looks at me and takes in my mood. She gives a small, worried smile before driving off.

"So, what happened to make you mad at Shusuke?" She leaves off the kun intentionally.

"Nothing." I glare out the window remembering exactly what I saw.

Rei hms for a long moment. "So, it's not you being jealous is it?"

My scowl deepens. "I'm not jealous."

"Oh, so you _do_ like him then." Rei says with a smile.

My face heats up. "W-well of course I d-do. He's my best friend!" I finish lamely.

Rei gives a small giggle. "You can't hide much from me Kita. I can see it in your eyes, even if they are closed most of the time, that you really like him. Did you see him with another girl? Is that it?"

I pout, knowing that I'm caught. Sighing, I give in. "Yeah, but this girl wasn't wearing a school uniform and she was beautiful. He was even laughing and had his eyes open. He hardly does that for anyone except me."

"Ah, well maybe you should tell him how you feel."

"No! He only sees me a boy and his best friend at best. There's no way he'll accept me otherwise."

Rei gives me a discreet glance. "Well it's what you want."

Really, it's not what I want at all. At least I can keep him as my best friend if nothing else.

Meanwhile, Fuji is waiting for his sister to come since Kinta had left before him. He remembers watching him get into the car and drive off without even a wave goodbye. Really, whatever has Kinta upset he's going to make sure that his best friend gets cheered up. Fuji smiles sadistically, knowing just the right plan.

On Saturday, everyone showed up at seven thirty instead of eight, which gave the team an extra half hour to practice or do whatever. So, at ten o'clock both teams are ready and eager to get the round over with and see who they're up against in the semi-finals.

Doubles 2: Yanagi and Sanada versus Inui and Momo. Rikkai Dai wins 1-0. 6-2 games.

Singles 3: Yagyu versus Monomi-buchou. Rikkai Dai wins 2-0. 6-4 games.

Doubles 1: Marui and Nio versus Oishi and Eiji. Kuragaku wins 2-1. 7-5 games.

Singles 2: Kirihara versus me.

Now, usually I would try to keep my skills hidden for the most part, but seeing that we'll lose if I don't win I have to step my game up. Walking over to Kirihara I shake his hand and smirk as he does the same. There aren't any words needed to say what we're both thinking. I win the right to serve first and step into position while sliding on my sunglasses.

Kirihara Akaya, prepare to be taken down. I use my dice serve to win the first game, which would be nice to use all the time, but I haven't figured out how to use it in a regular game, much less use it more than three or four games.

Of course, winning a flawless first game triggers Kirihara to turn on devil mode. We meet hit for hit, but when he uses his power I'm easily overthrown.

Right now, we're tied at two games each. With it being my serve, I use just a regular speed serve, hoping to get a counter spin from his hit back. When I do, it allows me to use my 360 spin shot. Kirihara become angrier and decides to step it up with more smashes than speed shots. Unfortunately, power is my mortal enemy.

This leads to our current tied score of six games. I've used everything in my arsenal from flash stance, dice serve, 360 spin shot, and even Fuji's tsubame gaeshi. Still, I'm now in this sudden death situation where if I mess up it's all on me.

However, Kami seems to be against me no matter what, since Kirihara's devil mode has just changed into angel mode. Seriously, what have I gotten myself into?

Looking at Kirihara I just know that whatever Rikkai Dai's training methods are they have to be extreme to have me actually feeling nervous. His angel mode is at least six times better than when I had seen it over summer. I can't help but feel like they've been holding back all this time.

When I serve, I attempt the dice serve I can feel my muscles stretching and tensing at the overuse. I try to push onwards, but my whole body feels numb. I'm way past my limit now.

The serve is complete and I score the first point of the seventh round. I try the serve again, wanting to finish the match and have Shusuke win this for us. However, my body says otherwise and I serve an incomplete Dice serve. Kirihara manages to hit it back and I try to deep slice it, but he catches me off guard with a return smash.

One point for each of us now. We rally after the next serve for awhile and I manage to get a lob over him. We're both tired, but he more stamina than I do. He gets the ball past me with a low shot and my arm is too tired to pick it up. One more shot and he as well as all of Rikkai wins.

Vaguely noticing that he's serving, I get into position and return the serve. Split-stepping, my foot catches one of my laces and I trip. I try to recover quickly, but the ball is already in my court. Thinking fast I switch my racquet to my left hand and attempt to hit it over the net. The ball hits the top of the net, titters for a moment, and then…

Drops onto my side of the court.

Devastated, I drag myself towards Kirihara to shake hands. I ignore Eiji trying to cheer me up as I leave the court, not even staying for the results and dismissal. Brushing past Fuji on the way out, I don't even mumble an apology to him.

How could I lose like that? I'm supposed to be one of the best of the team and I can't even defeat that _freshman_. Scowling, I head to the washroom to splash water on my face. After the water seeps into my shirt and hair I look at my reflection. I look haggard; my face is dirty and sweaty as well as my clothes. How they're dirty in the first place I'll never know.

Picking up my stuff, I start walking out of the area and towards home. It's at least an hour walk, but I need time to brood. How could I have let my team down like that?

Back at the tournament, everyone looks at Fuji to see if he knows what's going on. Of course Fuji's upset that he didn't get a chance to play Yukimura and Kuragaku's out of the running for Nationals, but he's more worried about Kinta.

Eiji, Oishi, and Momo won't stop pestering him about what happened on the court. It was an intense match with the score fluctuating back and forth, but everyone thought Kinta had it in the bag. Apparently not since he looked so worn and out of stamina. Which, makes it all the more believable that he had actually stepped on a shoelace, tripped, switch his racquet to his non-dominant hand, and _almost_ managed to make it over the net.

Almost being the key word. No one knows if Kinta ever lost before, much less in a tournament or an official match. It's frustrating seeing a friend walk out of the court with such disdain. Luckily, Fuji has the perfect plan to cheer him up tonight.

I would like nothing more to forget about today, tennis, and everything else in my life after that last horrible match. When I arrives at home there's a note from Kirin and Rei saying that they're out with friends at a Halloween party and won't be home until the next morning. At least the two still have friends and like to go out and such.

After taking a much needed shower, I decide to slip on something nice and feminine for once. After all, it's Halloween, everything's dark so there won't be anyone coming to get candy, and I'm the only one home. So, dressed in a beige silk shirt with ruffled sleeves and black mid-thigh shorts I decide to put my hair up in a pony tail and do something that I haven't for awhile: read.

Grabbing a book off from the bookshelf in the living room, I lay down on one of the couches with the lamp on. Everything else is dark except for the light from the lamp. Taking off my sunglasses, I set them off to the side on the floor and open my eyes. Blinking in the bright light, I allow them to focus and begin to read the novel in my hands.

A couple hours pass by and I hear a knock from the door. Placing a mark in my book, I get up to answer the door since I'm not expecting anyone. When I open it, the person there surprises me.

"Hi, is Kinta here?" Fuji asks, smile in place with his eyes mostly closed.

"…Ah…" I'm stunned.

Moving aside, I let him in while I'm freaking out inside my head. For one thing, I'm not in boy clothes. The second thing is my eyes are open. Lastly, freaking Fuji Shusuke is in my living room; my best friend who's about to find out that I'm a girl.


	20. Secrets revealed

My mouth isn't working anymore. Frankly, can you blame me? There's a guy in my living room who's sweet, gorgeous, talented, sadistic, and also my best friend. Aside from all of that I don't think he realizes who I am yet.

"So, is Kinta here?" He asks, for what I feel like is at least the second time.

"Ah." I'm not lying exactly.

He smiles. "Saa… I suppose you don't know who I am." He sticks out his hand for me to shake. "I'm Fuji Shusuke."

I take his hand, trying not to be impolite, and give a small smile while my face heats up a little. "Hai."

Fuji notices that my hands are soft and I have nice fingers. He looks me over and smiles. Beige is his favorite color and it looks especially good on me. He can't help but notice that my style is sleek yet appealing. Mostly, he just can't stop staring at my eyes.

"So, Ki-" He starts before I interrupt him.

"Shusuke, I need to tell you something." He looks surprised, but smiles nonetheless. Still being polite, he nods his head telling me to proceed.

"Follow me." I instruct and he does so until we reach my bedroom.

"This is-" He starts.

"I know." I finish for him.

Leading him into the room, I start to feel more anxious and even more nervous. What I'm about to do is going to change everything. He's going to hate me and never forgive me. No matter what, I can't go back, because he's already seen me like this. I can't lie to him; at least not blatantly like this.

Having him sit on the bed, I stand in front of him.

"Shusuke, my name is Kita."

He blinks at me then narrows his eyes, as if he's trying to see something from a distance. After a while his eyes widen and he looks at me in shock.

"Kinta! That's an awesome costume." He smiles sadistically. "I never took you for a transvestite on Halloween. Is it just to get away from all of the fan girls and-"

I sigh before interrupting him again. "Shusuke." I capture his attention. "I've never told you this but I'm really… a girl."

He looks at me before laughing. "That's a really good impression of a girl and you have the voice down pat too!" His laugh is honey-sweet and makes me want to melt. Either way, it's not helping my situation.

"No! It's not an impression I'm really a girl!" I insist, fire burning in my eyes.

He stops laughing and his azure eyes narrow towards me. "You're saying… that you're really a girl… that's been posing as a boy."

My heart rate is beating double time. "Yes."

"…I see."

"If it'll help I'll change my appearance for you." I let down my hair from its band and on my other pair of sunglasses that I keep in my room. "See?"

"Ah…" Fuji really does see how much Kinta…or Kita… looks like a boy. Probably even more so if the clothes were different too.

I slide off the sunglasses to put them on my head and look at Fuji eyes with my own for the first time without any lenses in between. His eyes are even more breathtaking than I had realized. Fuji himself can't help but feel lost in mine as well. Something's in there and he feels as if the color is burned into his memory.

"Shusuke, I'm glad you're not upset or angry about this, because I want to tell you everything about-"

"Oh no, I'm very pissed." Fuji says with his blue eyes hardening.

"But I want to explain everything-"

"I'm pretty sure that I can figure it out, so there's no need for an explanation."

A deep weight falls in my chest and my breathing hitches. "Shusuke-"

"_Don't_ call me that."

My eyes start to water, but I hold them in. He gets up to walk across the room and heads for the door.

"Please, you don't understand!"

"Oh, I'm sure I understand perfectly. You entered the team to get close to me because you're a rabid fan girl. Either that or you were trying to make me and the rest of the team look like fools. No wonder you tried to be my best friend. I guess you succeeded after today." He says spitefully.

His words hit deep in my heart. How could he think those things, let alone say them? I have to make this right. Seeing as how he has his tennis bag with him, I slip on my tennis shoes, grab my bag, and race after him. He's a couple blocks ahead of me, but I catch up quickly.

"Shusuke! Don't walk away from me!"

"Why? You don't deserve to call me that anymore, let alone tell me what to do." He spits out.

Walking into the deserted public tennis courts, we take the farthest court. Both of us know the only way to settle this would be on the court. It's already late at night and I have no intention of leaving until this is all solved.

"Shusuke, you couldn't be more wrong in your assumptions." My stubbornness is leading me to argue with one of the greatest tennis players of my time. Kami protect me.

"Oh really? And what do you know about me? Just because I tell you things doesn't mean you actually know or even care about me! You're just like everyone else: using me."

He serves first.

"No! I do know you! You tried hard to become who you are and still you hide it! Yuuta only wants you to be yourself and be happy. Instead you try not to take anything seriously and you're hurting yourself! He hated you because you didn't give him a chance."

He wins the first game.

"I gave him a chance! I practiced with him and trained with him, but he turned on me instead."

Angry, I give a burst of power. "He never turned on you. You didn't play with him seriously anymore and he was angry at himself for not being as good as you. Brothers are rivals and he looked up to you."

"Right and how would you know? You don't have any siblings! You didn't have to go through any strife! Do you know what I went through? Nobody wanted to be close to the genius. Father only wanted me to become the heir to his company. Everyone loves little Yuuta, but no one accepts me for me! I just do what everyone else expects me to."

"Oh really? You think that you're starving for recognition and being punished for something that's not your fault?"

I win the next two games, making him angrier.

"Let me tell you this Shusuke," I begin. "When I was little, I had everything; Loving parents, great friends, and lots of hobbies. When I went to tennis camp and excelled I was bullied by older jealous players. You know what they took from me? My sight! I couldn't stand to be in the light anymore because my eyes are so sensitive. So, I had to train for _years_ just to be able to see and walk around with sunglasses or my eyes closed."

I win another game.

"I don't see how that's so bad, considering where you are." He says, scowling in my direction.

"Oh? Well how about when my parents decided they couldn't take care of my condition and had my tennis coach become my teacher? How they eventually let him adopt me since I had no friends and they had no time for me? Or even when I finally find a place to challenge myself with people who care about me only to find out that they wouldn't anymore because I'm a female."

He wins the next game.

"Well, that sucks. I'm sure it does, but you lied to me! You lied to all of us! I trusted you with everything, even things my own flesh and blood don't know. How do you repay me? You tell me everything was a lie!"

He wins another game.

"Tell me; are you actually interested in tennis and not boys? Were you really willing to go so far as to hide your true identity so you could play tennis with us? Were you ever going to tell me that you're a _girl?_"

"Yes!" Tears pour out of my eyes. "Tennis was everything to me at first and I wanted to be normal, but no one on the tennis team is normal and that's why I like you all. I started to make friends and you _are_ my best friend Shusuke. Tell me, would you have ever willingly allowed a girl to join the boys' tennis team?"

He wins another game.

"Well, possibly if…"

"I doubt it! You don't believe girls can have that much strength or commitment to do such a thing!"

"Maybe, but you were never going to tell me that you're really a girl, were you!" He roars, winning another game in our never ending set.

"No! Because you would never accept me as I am! You're not willing to believe that I'm telling you the truth!"

I finally manage to win another game.

We pause, breathing hard. I look at him for the first time since we started playing. He has a dark aura surrounding him; eating away at him. He looks so sad and angry. It looks almost like Kirihara's devil mode.

He laughs emptily. "You think that you can change anything? All anybody sees me as is someone who's sadistic, someone who they can blame, someone who's perfect, or someone who doesn't even matter."

"No!" I insist, my normal light voice piercing his darkness, startling him. "You're wrong. If you truly want to do something then do it! Inside, you're a nice sweet person and people are starting to see that. Sure, we're all a little sadistic or flawed sometimes, but we push on to be the best person we can be. Shusuke you're no different, because you have people who look up to you, people who trust you, people who think you matter to them and even people who love you."

Fuji's aura starts to lighten up and I think that I'm getting through to him. Serving the ball, I try to get him to see the light. I need him to see that he's not alone.

"No one but me thinks you're perfect." Fuji looks up at me when I say that, hurt and uncertainty filling his eyes. "Because I think you're perfect the way you're supposed to be."

He tilts his head in a confused way. "What way is that?"

I smile at him with the tears now drying on my cheeks. "The way you're supposed to feel when you start living for yourself and do what you want to do. It's when you let go of all the hurt and pain to start a new life; the one you want to live in. You have to start the change in order for everyone to see it."

"I just have to let go…" He says quietly, still uncertain.

"If you let go, you can do anything you want Shusuke. You don't have to hurt or be alone anymore." I tell him earnestly.

"How do you know? Are you sure?"

I smile for real for the first time around him. "I know because I let go of my anger, my hurt, and my sadness a long time ago. I can't change the past, but I can choose to be happy with what I have in the future. It's not easy sometimes at first, but you'll get used to it."

"Used to it?"

"Happiness. Freedom. Whatever it is that you deny yourself it'll return to you."

"I don't know."

He wins the last point of our last game.

"I'll be here when you do know."

I pick up my stuff and walk back to my house. I don't want to leave Fuji there, but he has to sort it out for himself. Right now, it seems like his darkness has left him, but it'll come back if he doesn't fight it. I know he can, but he has to want it; and I can't help him with that.

All I can do is sit and wait until he decides to come to me.

Monday morning comes and I take my seat next to Fuji at school. He doesn't greet me or even look at me. Sighing, I take my stuff out and get ready for class.

"Hoi hoi! Kinta-chii~ where did you go Saturday?" Eiji asks, bouncing up to the table.

"Ah… gomen Eiji, but I had to take care of something and I wasn't feeling well." I answer smoothly.

"Nya! You can't start getting sick Kinta! After all, we're going to Nationals!" Eiji proclaims.

Then, I realize what he said. "What! How are we going to Nationals? We only made it to the semi-finals!"

"Well, the committee picked someone from the Tokyo area to be the special invite this year and Kuragaku was the highest ranking." Oishi explains.

"I see, so did Rokkaku or Rikkai Dai win?" I ask.

"Neither." Fuji says, looking directly in front of him instead of anywhere near me.

"Eh!" I exclaim.

"Yeah, the new foreign school is a beast and beat Rokkaku and Rikkai Dai."

"What's their name?" I ask.

"Mishinami-nya." Eiji says with a scowl on his face. "They're a ruthless school and it won't be very much fun to play against them."

"Hai, that's why I'm off to collect data for the next month. Iie data~" Inui says, popping out from behind Eiji and scaring the crap out of him.

"Inui! Don't do that!" Eiji shrieks from the top of my desk where he's clinging to my head.

"Do what?" Inui asks confusedly.

"Never mind." Eiji says, detaching himself from me and climbing down off of my desk.

"Well, we better train hard for the next month." I say while the other three agree. Fuji just didn't care.

(1 month later, now December 9th the day of the tournament).

A week after I had found out that we are going to Nationals, Buchou comes back from the selection process to announce that we're up against Shitenhoji. I grimaced in response, because that means I'll have to see the baka couple again. Seriously, I think that they're gay.

For the whole month Fuji has been avoiding me, going so far as to answering my questions with written notes. Still, I think that I might've gotten through to him. He seems to be thinking a lot more lately. Not to mention he's trying harder to just have fun and be the best he can be. Although it's only ten percent of the time it's much better than none.

Instead of pining after Fuji, I've been spending more of my time with Eiji and Oishi when I'm out or with Rei-chan at home. Rei's ready to have her baby next week and we _still_ don't know if it's going to be a boy or a girl.

Yumiko-chan drops Fuji and me off at the tournament in Kansai. I'm about to get out of the car when she's calls for me. Knowing better than to upset her, I lean back down into her sleek black car.

"Hai?"

She smiles knowingly. "You told him, didn't you?"

I begin to get nervous now, because I can see where this is headed. "I did, but he didn't take it well and I can't make him like it or anything so-"

"Whoa, slow down there." She says and I pause to take a couple deep breaths.

"I'm not mad at you or anything." I blink at her astounded, because it looks to me that Fuji's doing a pretty good job of making me look like the bad guy here. "In fact, I think you're doing Shusuke some girl. He's spending a lot of his time in his room with his cacti, but I know he's thinking over whatever you said to him."

I give her a look that says 'I'm not really sure'. She sighs and continues.

"I can see that he's trying to find trying to find the words to say, but he doesn't know exactly what he wants yet. Please keep trying, because you seem like you're the only person who can do this."

I nod my head at her response, though I doubt that I'm the person to actually change him. I don't know if he even wants anything to do with me anymore. Really, that thought right there just chips away at my heart.

Walking towards Fuji I get a call on my phone and see that it's Eiji.

"Eiji, what's up?" I ask, knowing he's probably excited to be almost here right now.

"Kinta-chi! I was on my way to the park near your house when I decided to see if you were home still, but when I knocked on the door I heard screams so I went inside and-" He says too quickly so I can't understand.

"Eiji! Slow down and tell me what's happening _right now_." I say, trying to get him to calm down.

I hear him taking a gulp of air. "Rei is having her baby."

A slow few seconds pass over me while time stands still. I can't hear Eiji's pleas for me from my phone or Shusuke taking it away from me. Talking ensues, but I can't seem to focus on it. After what seems like a lifetime I feel a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Hey." The first word that he's said to me since that night at the park. I look at him and he can see my fearful and surprised expression. "She's going to be alright. Eiji's with her right now at the hospital, so she's not alone."

I blink slowly at the information. "Kirin… business trip… due the 17th."

From my random words Fuji makes sense of what I'm saying. Kirin on a business trip, probably for the next couple of days, and Rei isn't due until next week. Looking at me once more Fuji seems to see my thinking process.

"I have to-"

"No." He says sternly. "Eiji is with her right now and can't be here in time to make it to the tournament today. He might be able to later tonight, but you have no way there and we'll be disqualified if you leave."

I look at him sharply. "I'm letting _her_ down! How can I be away from her at a time like this. She's in labor Fuji and doesn't have family with her!"

He looks at me sadly and for the first time since a month ago sees me for who I am, at least partially. I'm a girl who is terrified about leaving her sister figure alone in a hospital with only a close friend of hers there. Not only that, but I'm trying hard to be tough and not let these emotions cloud my judgment, because right now I feel so alone.

"She's not alone, because she has Eiji there. The doctors have called Kirin and he'll be there tonight. Right now, the best thing you can do is be here with your team." _And with me._ Fuji says.

"But-" My sentence is cut off as Fuji gives me a quick embrace.

"I may not understand everything yet, and I'm still pretty mad, but I know that everything will be okay if you're here."

I blink a couple times and just as fast Fuji let go of me. I'm not entirely sure if he was talking about us or just me, but it gives me the courage to stay here.

"Alright, well let's find the others and get everything started." I say as Fuji smirks. It seems like everything is starting to go back to normal. Well, whatever normal is anyway. _Maybe it'll be a different normal, _Fuji thinks_._

"Buchou! We've got a slight problem." Fuji calls out as we run up to the group. "Eiji is with Rei, his sister," he points to me. "He won't be able to make it since he's staying at the hospital with her until tonight."

Buchou rubs is fingers through his hair in a messy fashion. "So, we're a player short. That means no reserve until tomorrow. Do you all think we can handle it?"

Everyone looks around uneasily. Oishi has his trademark worry-wart face on and we all can tell that he's going to break the silence first.

"Well, we'll be down a doubles team which is going to be the worst part of it. Kaidou and Inui are probably going to be our best doubles team. Buchou, and Kinta are just singles players. I could try to work something out with Momo or Fuji." He looks at them expectantly.

"Wait." Fuji says. "We do have another doubles team."

"Eh, Fuji-senpai, I don't really see how we have a _good_ doubles team. Last time we tried it-" Momo is cut off by me.

"You can't be serious." I look at him wide-eyed. He looks down at me apologetically.

"It's the best way. After all, the plan was for it to be revealed next year, but what's a little preview?"

"What are you two talking about?" Momo yells from frustration.

"You think everything's ready?" I ask.

"Only one way to find out." He smirks. I nearly blush, but I hold it back. Kami his smirks are sexy when there isn't evil intent behind them.

"Buchou." I say, finally turning to him.

"Meet your new doubles pair." Fuji finishes while grinning at him.


	21. Nationals pt 1

"You mean you two?" Oishi says incredulously.

I give him a half-hearted glare. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Oishi visibly starts to get nervous and starts to stutter, but the most unlikely person comes in to save him.

"Ah, considering that you had no idea how to play doubles a couple months ago and now you claim to be powerful." Inui says before looking at Buchou. "This could make for some interesting data."

Buchou, seemingly not put-off by Inui's creepy smile and data mutterings, thinks about this aloud. "How long have you both been playing doubles together?"

"Summer time." Fuji says with his smile still in place.

Buchou nods. "How many matches have you been in?"

Both of us look at each other to try to find a good number to describe them.

Shrugging my shoulders I answer his question. "I'd say at least two hundred or more."

"Real matches or practice?"

"Saa… if we count practices then it'll be over four hundred." Fuji says, now grinning at Buchou while everyone else drops their jaws.

"F-four hu-hu-hundred!" Oishi sputters.

"You shouldn't lie like that senpai, you shouldn't at all." Momo says, eyeing Fuji.

"Fushuu." Kaidou hisses, agreeing.

"According to my data, it _is_ possible to play over two hundred actual matches if they played at least three matches every day for five months." Inui says, glasses shining. "The real question is how you were able to play that many matches." Notebook in hand, he's ready to scribble down whatever we say next.

"Eh heh, well I know a place where a lot of tennis players go to practice and we went there nearly every day. After I learned how to actually play we attempted to play doubles for at least three matches every time we went." I explain sheepishly.

Inui scribbles madly, nodding to every word that I say. I wonder if he'd make a good life-size bobble head, but push the creepy image away immediately.

"How many actual matches did you both win?" Momo asks, wondering how much of a challenge the two would now be in doubles.

"Hmm… in the last three months? All of them." Fuji says now with his sadistic smile in place at the sight of the rest of our team wide-eyed.

"You're sure that you can beat the doubles two pair?" Buchou asks Fuji.

"No." He says, shocking everyone including myself. "We'll dominate them, which is why I'm asking for us to be placed in the doubles one slot."

I smirk when I hear that, but at the same time I'm completely nervous. We've only faced retired pros and recreational players. However good we are I'm not entirely sure that we can beat National-level players.

"Fuji-senpai is super competitive," Momo whispers to me and I nod.

"Fine, but if you lose you'll never play doubles one again." Buchou says sternly.

Fuji smirks. "Of course."

"Alright, so the lineup will be this: Kaidou and Inui, Oishi, Fuji and Sato, me, and then Momo." Buchou says before writing it down on the paper and walking up to the front desk to register ourselves.

"Hey." Fuji says, stopping me from my decent down the stairs to the stadium. "Do your best and everything will go smoothly."

I nod. "Should we go all out?"

Fuji ponders it for a moment. "Nothing too fancy unless it's called for, but I don't think we'll need to use _those_ anyways."

In silent agreement, we enter the stadium to stand with our team in the center and wait for the tournament to begin.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I now declare the National tournament to begin!"

The crowd lets out a huge roar and players head out to their designated areas. The outdoor tennis courts are huge and directly outside of the stadium. Evidently the stadium is only reserved for the Finals. Still, these courts are impressive.

Lining up, we all bow and shake hands before we start our first match.

Doubles 2: Hitoji and Konjiki versus Kaidou and Inui.

Result: Kuragaku wins 6-4. 0-1.

Singles 3: Koishikawa versus Oishi.

Result: Shitenhoji wins 7-6. 1-1

Doubles 1: Oshitari and Zaizen versus Fuji and Sato.

I breathe in a shudder of air, knowing that it's finally my turn to be out there. At least I'm not alone or with a partner I don't know. Clapping me on the shoulder, Fuji leads me out onto court.

After bowing and shaking hands, we set up on our side with Fuji receiving first.

"Oi, Fuji!" Zaizen calls out from the serving spot. "Sorry you got stuck with the shrimp." Oh… he's asking for it now. I know I'm short, but I'm on the above average height for a girl. "We'll try to make this as slow and painful as possible." Great it's another arrogant and sadistic tennis player.

Fuji smirks in reply. "If you're only armed with weak comments, then we've already won this match." This seems to anger Zaizen, so the match starts off with a speed serve which Fuji easily returns.

The first game rallies back and forth for awhile before Fuji decides to become serious. He starts using his original triple counters and I reveal my split step and flash stance. With our simplest moves, we easily win the first game.

Fuji nods towards me, letting me know that I can serve first. Without even a glance in his direction I know that I'm allowed to start showing off. Starting off our first flawless service game is my special serve Dice serve.

With the score at two games to none in our favor, Shitenhoji starts to get angry and decides to step it up. Their teamwork is great, but as I watch them I notice gaps in their play as well as their weaknesses.

I know that Fuji can see it too. Zaizen may be a tensai at his school, but he's nothing compared to Fuji. Zaizen lacks tact and his weaknesses are speed and a speed ball, especially with excess rotation. Oshitari lacks variety and his weaknesses are power and direction changes. Together, they're no match for Fuji and me.

However, while gaining this information we've allowed them to win a match. Fuji, who's up for serving, casts a smirk at the opposing team.

"You have no idea who you're up against," he says before hitting a speed serve towards Zaizen. Of course, he's unable to swing fast enough, so the point is ours.

"Heh, I've got this," Oshitari says, unknowingly setting himself up.

Fuji doesn't say a word and serves. Just as the ball bounces Oshitari begins to swing towards it, but it ends up going the completely opposite direction.

"T-that was…" He stutters, not believing that Fuji just used the Dice serve.

"Ah, it's the real thing," Fuji says, preparing to serve again.

Up in the stands the team begins to murmur among themselves. It's not uncommon to see doubles players imitate their partner's moves, but Fuji did more than replicate. Forgoing the discussion, the team decides to wait and watch.

The game ends quickly with the score 3-1 in Kuragaku's favor. Just before the start of the next game I ask Fuji a question.

"Do you want to play more or should we finish it?"

Fuji thinks for a moment and weighs his options. "Saa… it'll be nice to see the shock on their faces when we're done, so let's finish it early."

Nodding to him from my position up front we begin to intensify the State we are in since the beginning of the match. Gasps are heard from the audience as the State starts to become more and more visible.

"Is that _Synchro_?" Oishi asks his team, clearly shocked.

"It looks like it, but the color is off." Momo says, squinting at the court from the stands.

True, the State does bear a striking resemblance to Synchro as the aura around the players is growing. Instead of it being the traditional gold color it's a bright gold-white. Although no one can tell what this State is or means, they guess as to what it'll do.

"What _is_ that?" Zaizen asks, squinting at the bright light that's being given off.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Fuji asks, tilting his head to the side.

"He means that light surrounding you," Oshitari clarifies. He is also infatuated with this light. It's beautiful yet terrifying at the same time. He's almost drawn to it as if it's some sort of holy light.

"I don't see a light," I murmur, failing to see what's gotten them so riled up.

"Heh, well no matter, because we'll still crush you!" Zaizen yells, trying to calm his nerves.

Shrugging, we play our best and try to end the match quickly. Of course, we can't help but show off just a little bit. While we finish destroying our competition I reveal that I can also use Fuji's techniques flawlessly as well. I use a couple of his triple counters and he also uses the flash stance and split-step.

Ending the game at 6-1, we head back over to the team that's now completely surrounded by fans.

"Was that good enough captain?" Fuji asks, his smirk triumphant and bright.

Buchou nods and lets us sit down to rest. All around us the team and fans are whispering. I try not to listen too much, but after awhile I start to get curious. Thankfully, Oishi comes up to us to let us in on the gossip.

"So senpais, what happened out there?"

"We dominated," Fuji replies, flashing his blue eyes in victory.

"Obviously, but I was talking about that light-thing that you guys did. What was it?"

Fuji and I turn to look at each other, wondering what Oishi is talking about.

"Shitenhoji said the same thing, but we can't see it. What did it look like?" I ask him, both of us even more curious now.

"Eto… it looked like Synchro, but it had a golden-white light instead and your eyes stayed the same color." He says, scrunching up his face in concentration.

"Ah, Fuji-san, Sato-san, are either of you aware of what the crowd is calling you?" Inui asks, popping up from behind Oishi with his notebook in hand.

"No," I reply, looking at him wearily.

"Ah," He scribbles something else down in his book before speaking again. "They're calling you Gods."

Fuji and I blink a couple of times before chuckling a bit.

"Hmm… any reason why?" Fuji asks. We both know that the training facilities that Fuji and I practiced at had come up with a name for us, but we always wondered why.

"Ah… they call you both that since the golden-white glow gave off a sense of power and bliss, as well as your perfect harmony. By the way, do you both know what causes that light?" Inui asks, pen already poised above the page.

"Saa… that would explain everything," Fuji murmurs, probably coming to the same conclusion as I have.

"Explain what?" Buchou asks, also wanting to know what's going on.

"When we were at the various facilities practicing and playing against other doubles players they had given us a name," I explain.

"A name? Like a title?" Kaidou inquires.

"Saa… they gave us the title 'Heavenly Pair,' but we had no idea why at the time. However, if what everyone sees when we're playing like that are Gods, then that would explain the title." Fuji sums up, seemingly delighted at the new title.

"Heavenly Pair… iie data~" Inui says, scribbling furiously. "Still, what causes that light?"

Fuji and I look at each other before shrugging, deciding that it's alright to tell Inui since no one else has been able to replicate this technique, especially for doubles.

"Well, it's a combination of Synchro and opening the doors of Muga No Kyouchi," Fuji says shrugging.

However, it almost seems like it was the wrong thing to say since everyone on the team stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Fuji and me with their mouths hanging open.

"Wait, so you're saying that you're _combining_ Synchro with the doors of Muga No Kyouchi?" Oishi asks, dumbfounded.

"Hai," Fuji answers happily.

"Data, data, data…" Inui mutters, scribbling in his book even faster.

"How is that possible Fuji?" Oishi asks, clearly confused.

"Well, when we use Synchro and open a door the light becomes white-gold. With each door that we open the light changes color in increments from gold-white to white. This also allows us to have multiple doors open at the same time," He answers easily before turning back to Momo's match against Shitenhoji's strongest player, Ishida Gin.

A hissing sound is made and the rest of the team looks behind them to see Inui passed out on the stands with his ears steaming, notebook on the seat in front of him, and his hand twitching while muttering something about data overload. Everyone sweat drops and returns to watching Momo's close game.

"Game! Kuragaku wins three games to one!" The referee calls out. After that we all file onto the court and shake hands. Naturally, after we're dismissed everyone cheers for our win.

"So, who's next?" Momo asks, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"From the results on the board it looks like Nagashimi High. They only made it to the first round last year, but my data says win." Inui says, glasses flashing in the light.

"Well, get over there team." Buchou says while walking away from our current court to the other side of the outdoor stadium to where our next match is taking place.

"Saa… this will be an easy defeat," Fuji remarks, eagerness leaking through his voice. I can't help but feel that he only wants to show off and crush the competition. Maybe his sadistic and competitive sides go hand in hand.

"Let's go or we won't have time to get lunch," Fuji calls back to me. I pick up my pace, but can't help but think that Fuji hasn't called me by any name all day. Not Kinta, Sato, or anything remarkable. I know he's pissed, he even told me so this morning, but I guess he doesn't let that get in the way of his tennis.

His tennis is just what I was worried about all last month though. His dark side kept leaking out the first couple of weeks, but then it just disappeared. I wasn't sure if he had been trying to get it all out or keep it back, but today proved that he's been working hard. Our State would've never had worked if he had any doubts or darkness holding him back.

Maybe this is a new Fuji Shusuke. Just maybe this is his new beginning.

"Winner! Kuragaku three games to zero!" The referee calls out. Shockingly enough, this team didn't even hold a candle to Shitenhoji. Either we're progressing a lot faster than other regions or they just suck, because that game was ridiculous.

"Senpais! You both just dominated them!" Momo exclaims, pumping his fist into the air.

Of course, Momo and Buchou are slightly upset about not being able to play (Buchou mostly, because he hasn't played at all), but our quick win over Nagashimi High was well worth it.

Especially if all we were doing was spamming powerful and tricky shots all over the place. It's not our fault that they weren't synched enough and didn't cover each other's weaknesses at all.

Either way, our team is dismissed for the day and we're all allowed to go back to the hotel, rest up, get dinner, and just relax for tomorrow. Of course, we're all roomed with our designated partner. This means that I'll be spending the night with Fuji.

Fuji, who knows that I'm a girl Fuji.

Kami save me.

When we arrive at the hotel everyone agrees to get changed and meet downstairs at the restaurant to get dinner. Since we're participants in the tournament, we all get free food and as much as we want. I can only imagine the hurt that the restaurant owners are going to feel when they see the bill.

Of course, dinner was loud, fun, and absolutely relaxing. I'm not sure if it was because I was with my friends or the fact that many guys were making fools out of themselves for trying to sing on the karaoke machine. Either way I'm glad that I was there to share it with them.

As we're heading back up to our rooms, the guys want to hit the indoor hot springs that the hotel had made. While silently slipping away from them and the topic I head to my room. Sliding in the door I breathe a sigh of relief and plop onto a bed. I'm not sure how long I laid there for, but I heard the door to my room open and look up.

Fuji is leaning against the door to my room and looks at me. That's when I remember that he's my roommate.

"So, how's this going to work out?" He asks, blue eyes boring into mine. I can't help but think 'Yep, he's still pissed.'

"Well, we've done it before and you had no problem with it then." I point out, referring to our summer trip around Japan.

"Of course, because _you lied to me and I had no idea you were a girl._" He says, frowning at me as he says so.

"Still, it worked out before and it will this time." I say calmly.

He sighs, evidently giving in. "I suppose you're going to stay up here then."

I nod as we both know how awkward that would be if I were in the hot springs with all the naked guys. I blush at that thought.

Of course, there would be _hot_, naked, _gorgeous_, tennis guys in there. My blush deepens and I turn away to look out the window.

"I'll wait until late tonight and sneak down there. That way there will be next to no chance of someone being down there and seeing me." I reply, hoping that my answer is satisfactory. After all, there aren't any showers here since the hot spring is downstairs and I smell awful from all of the sweat and heat.

"Fine. Just don't get into trouble." Fuji says before he grabs a change of clothes and a towel before he heads out the door. Sighing, I could've almost sworn that he was actually trying to be concerned about me.

It's not until about ten thirty that Fuji comes back in and I hear a bunch of guys passing our door.

"There's only one guy left down there, but he said that he would be leaving soon."

I blink at his statement since I never asked him to find out how many people were staying after he left. As he enters to bathroom to brush his teeth I smile at the gesture. I can't help but think that maybe he's coming around.

Meanwhile, Fuji stares at himself in the mirror wondering why he just told me that. He figures that he cares somewhat, but it's as if I'm his responsibility. Yeah, responsibility sounds good. It doesn't fit, but he's too frustrated to think too hard about what it is he sees in me.

After quickly brushing his teeth, Fuji walks out to lie on his bead and stare at the ceiling. It's not until about eleven thirty that he hears the door open and then close only to look over and see me gone. Thinking that he can't go to sleep until he knows that I'm back, he takes out a book from his backpack and reads for awhile.

Downstairs I'm currently in the changing room and stripping off all of my clothes in a bathroom. Wrapping my towel around myself I walk out and put my clothes into a cubby. Peeking outside to double check that everyone's gone, I step lightly into the hot spring before wading in. Immediately I can feel its soothing effects.

Somehow, I end up dozing off and fail to hear the footsteps that signal someone's arrival.

**A/N:**

**So... I'm planning on focusing more on the relationship after Nationals, so I hope that's cool with you all. There will be tennis stuff too, but I find matches to be boring after awhile (let me know if you think otherwise). But, characters will be popping up again, so if you private message me with your 1 or 2 most favorite characters I'll do my best to incorporate them more into the story. :)**


	22. Nationals pt 2

**Hey, sorry I haven't updated in awhile. Also, I've been creating another story (for KHR though) but I won't upload anything until I finish this one xD thanks for sticking with me.**

While I'm asleep behind a large rock in the corner, the person who the footsteps belong to walk into the changing room and re-emerge to join me in the water. A sigh can be heard from the said person and the water lightly ripples against the sides and rock I'm behind.

He wades from the front side to the far side past the rock. As he wades past my dozing figure, he looks back to see if it was just his imagination or if he really did see a purple-haired female in the _men's_ hot springs.

No, his eyes don't deceive him and he's glad that he wore a towel inside the springs now. Wading over to me, he sees that I am in fact asleep. Frowning slightly and being the gentleman that he is, he figures it's best if he wakes me up.

"Wake up." He says while shaking my shoulder softly.

I groan and lift my head up from the side of the boulder that I used as a pillow. Rubbing my eyes, I turn to look and see what woke me up. There, about a foot away from me is a handsome and toned body that belongs to a man with sexy golden-brown hair and glasses.

Keeping calm, I speak to him. "Hi, sorry for making you wake me."

He frowns and waves off my apology. "Not a problem, but what are you doing in the _men's_ spring?" He asks, jumping straight to the point.

Oh, crap. "Uh… well… you see…" I can't come up with a good excuse, so I decide on the truth. "I'm posing as a guy, so I can help my school win Nationals. Only, not everybody knows that I'm a guy, so I have to sneak around and be careful. Hence, why I'm here late."

The man blinks for a moment before speaking. "Ah."

I nearly slip back into the water at his reply. "No accusations? No questions? Nothing?" I scrutinize him, trying to see if he's toying with me.

He shrugs. "I've watched you play and you're quite good, especially for a female. I have no reason to judge when you've helping the team get so far."

Blinking for a moment, I take everything he said in and smile. "I'm Sato Kita, or Kinta on the court."

"Tezuka."

I stop breathing for a moment. "Wait… _The_ Tezuka? Tezuka Kunimitsu who led Seigaku to victory two years ago? What are you doing here!" I whisper furiously, still in disbelief that he's here.

He frowns. "I don't recall ever meeting you Sato-san."

I blush lightly, realizing that I just spoke a lot about him aloud. "Ah, well… I hear a lot from Fuji and the others."

"Ah. How are they?" He asks and I frown.

"Don't they know that you're here?"

He shakes his head no. "I want to surprise them after Nationals."

I nod, understanding his reasons. "You know, I used to watch yours and Fuji's matches the most when you all were in the junior tournaments." I say, hoping to get him to open up.

He looks at me curiously. "Why is that?"

I grin at him. "So I could gather training ideas. You know, this next round will be really exciting." He doesn't say anything and just looks at me. "I'll be using some moves you'll want to see. Besides, Fuji has become a lot stronger as well."

He looks at me for a long moment. "How close are you to Fuji?"

My eyes grow wide and I look away quickly, blushing. "I..well.. we're partners in tennis and school. I've met his brother and sister a couple times… and… he's helped me with tennis… and…"

"I mean, does he know you're a girl?" He clarifies.

I sigh. "Yeah and he's not happy about it. He'll barely talk to me and he's my best friend. He feels like I betrayed him, but what would he do in my position? I just… I don't know how to show him that I'm still _me_ even if I'm a girl." I finish lamely, spilling all of my guts to someone I've only ever seen and heard about.

"You like him." He states.

"Kami," I mumble. "It's probably obvious to everyone that I love the guy." Quickly, I shut my mouth and blush furiously.

Tezuka cracks a tiny smile and chuckles. "Only if you're looking. He was my best friend you know."

I smile gratefully at him, a blush still on my face. "Yeah, but I doubt he does."

"Well,-" The rest of his sentence is stopped short as I suddenly black out.

Alarmed, Tezuka quickly scoops me up into his arms and keeps me above water.

"Sato-san." He calls, lightly tapping the side of my face, but I don't respond. He can see blood trickle down from one nostril to my cheek. Silently cursing, he wades back to the shallow edge of the springs and brings me out of the water.

Making sure my towel and his is secure, he starts walking back towards the elevator. While waiting, he looks down at me to take in my features. With my boy persona, I have a slightly feminine face, wild purple hair, and obscured eyes. However, with all of my defenses down and without any sunglasses covering my eyes, I look quite pretty. My eyes are captivating and I'm just starting to develop my figure. Overall, he can tell that I'll be a beautiful girl one day.

The elevator doors open, cutting his thoughts of me short.

"Tezuka!" A voice from inside the elevator says, shock lacing his single word.

"I can explain, Fuji." Tezuka mentally slaps himself in the face at how defensive he sounds. He hasn't done anything wrong, but someone could take it that way.

However, Fuji doesn't know what's going on anymore. Tezuka isn't supposed to be here, much less carrying his doubles partner and best friend. Is she still his best friend? He doesn't have time to think of that right now. All he can see is that underneath the towels that we're both naked and Tezuka's carrying me.

"Go ahead, because I would _love_ to know why one of my closest _friends_, who _supposed_ to be in Germany, is carrying my best friend, a _girl_, covered in only a towel at quarter to midnight." He hisses with his blue eyes open and narrowed in a menacing glare towards Tezuka.

Sighing, Tezuka steps into the elevator with Fuji and allows him to press the floor where Fuji and I are staying.

"Fuji, she passed out from exhaustion and the heat from the springs." He explains, maneuvering me so Fuji can see the trickle of blood falling from my nose.

Fuji's expression grows soft and he runs his fingers through my hair, worry now replacing the anger in his eyes.

"How did you find out that she's a girl? Did she tell you?" He adds in with a little bit of spite. It seems like I tell everyone except him that I'm really a girl. In fact, I even tell people I don't know I'm a girl rather than tell my best friend.

"Fuji, I could tell with one look at her. Yes, she knew that I knew, so she confessed, but I already told her I knew." Tezuka explains with concern in his voice. "Besides, how could you leave her down there in the _men's_ springs _alone?_"

Fuji frowns and avoids Tezuka's eyes. "I… I'm just so angry and confused… I didn't… never wanted…" He can't begin to explain how guilty he feels.

Tezuka sighs. "I can understand your anger, but what if it wasn't me who found her?" Fuji snaps his head back to Tezuka, thinking about the implications of that sentence.

"I… I'm sorry Tezuka." He nods and accepts Fuji's apology.

The elevator stops and Tezuka follows Fuji out and to the room we share. They walk in and set me on my bed. Fuji disappears into the bathroom and returns with a damp washcloth. He carefully wipes away the blood with a worried face. Once it's clean, he puts the covers over me and gently tugs the towel out from under me, so I won't catch a cold overnight with a wet towel and sheets.

"Tezuka," Fuji says, sitting on the edge of my bed, looking at the floor. "I-"

"She talked about you, you know." He says, making Fuji's face whip towards him.

"Does she hate me? After all of this, I wouldn't blame her. I mean… I…" He trails off, trying to think of how to say what he wants to.

"Fuji, do you like her?" Tezuka asks bluntly.

"What? Of course! She's my best friend. We always have fun together, she's the first person I call with good news, I know everything about her, and-"

"But… do you _like_ her?" Tezuka presses, hoping to find the truth beneath all of the pain that coats both of their eyes. Yes, Tezuka Kunimitsu has learned how to _not_ be an ice block. Besides, he genuinely care for his friends and wants them to find happiness; especially Fuji. Right now, Fuji seems happier than he has been, but his thoughts and actions show pain and confusion.

"I… I don't know." He admits, truly confused at what he feels.

I moan a little bit and turn over in my sleep. Fuji immediately turns to look at me and see if anything's wrong.

Tezuka chuckles. "It seems that your heart knows but your head doesn't."

Fuji glances at Tezuka with a puzzled expression on his face. "Since when do you know about emotions and relationships?" Tezuka immediately stop chuckling. Fuji's eyes go wide and a wide smirk appears on his face. "Could it be that _the _Tezuka Kunimitsu has a girlfriend?"

Tezuka coughs and shifts uncomfortably, trying to dodge the question. Fuji, however, knows better and takes this as a yes. He grins at this information and resolves to find out more about this girl who melted Tezuka's heart later.

"So, what do you think?" He asks, trying to get back on subject.

Tezuka glances at him before sighing. "First, you have to ask yourself some basic questions." Fuji nods, giving the go ahead.

"First, when you think of life, can you imagine her not in it?" Immediately, Fuji shakes his head.

"Do you talk to her more than anyone else?" Another quick nod.

"If you could have any girl in the world, what would she be like?" Kami, this is embarrassing for Tezuka to do, but he really cares for his friends. At least no one else will ever know.

Fuji thinks for a moment before responding. "Well, she'd have to be shorter than me, love tennis and my photography, have nice fingers, eyes that shine like silver, a voice that's sweet like an angels, would tolerate my sadistic side, like my friends and family-"

"Okay, that's enough," Tezuka says, feeling like Fuji could go on forever. "Now, does Sato-san sound like that person?"

Fuji opens his mouth to retort, but closes it again. Really, he just described me to the tee and he knows it. "Yeah…" He says.

"Fuji, how would you feel if she went out someone?"

Fuji looks at Tezuka with murder in his blue eyes and snarls, "I'll kill him."

Tezuka smirks at his reaction. He can't help but think yep Fuji has fallen _hard_ for this girl. She seems like a good person and obviously loves him a lot _and_ realizes it.

"Congratulations, Fuji; you're in love with her."

Fuji's murderous eyes die and are replaced with shock. In fact, the tensai's mouth falls open.

"I… I _love_ her?" He asks incredulously. "So… when I still cared enough about her to warn her it wasn't because she's a responsibility, but because… I _love _her."

Tezuka nods. "It can make you do crazy things. No matter how much you may be mad at her you'll always care."

Fuji nods his head slowly as the realization sets in. "So when I freaked out about her not telling me she's a girl…"

Tezuka nods. "Yeah, because you felt something for her, but since you didn't she wasn't a guy you buried it deep down and refused to believe it. But Fuji," He asks getting his attention. "How could you miss the fact that she's female?"

Fuji laughs uncomfortably. "I guess I always noticed it, but didn't want to believe it."

"Ah."

"Ne, Tezuka. You said she talked about me, so what'd she say?" He asks, giving him a cheeky grin.

"Hmmm… I wonder…" He replies, pretending to think about telling him.

"Tezuka!" Fuji whines, wanting to know what I said about him.

"Well… I don't remember well…" He says, clearly enjoying his leverage over the tensai.

"Tezuka Kunimitsu, you will tell me this instance or I will find your girlfriend and send her humiliating pictures of you." Fuji says, trademark sadistic grin in place.

Tezuka sighs and caves. "She told me… that… she… hates you." He says monotonously.

Tezuka swears, it looks like Fuji's heart is slowly breaking into pieces. After enjoying his torture, he decides to tell him the truth. "Actually, Fuji, she said that she loves you."

Fuji pulls himself together and narrows his eyes at his friend. "Really, or are you messing with me?"

"Honest, Fuji." Tezuka says, rubbing his temple. Of course, Fuji grins and his eyes light up making them bluer than usual.

"Yes! But…" He calms down. "She thinks that I still hate her…"

"Than prove that you don't," he says, standing and putting his hand on Fuji's shoulder. "I'm going back down to get our clothes. I'll see you tomorrow after the tournament."

Fuji nods and asks one last question on his mind. "Why are you here?"

Tezuka turns and smirks at him. "Next year, the winner of Nationals will be flown to Germany to compete against our National team. I've been sent here to scout the competition."

Fuji smirks and nods. "Saa… well I'm sure we'll be seeing each other then."

Tezuka nods and then exits the room silently, leaving Fuji to change and get to bed. The third round of the tournament is tomorrow and he needs rest.

It's the third day of the tournament and the entire Kuragaku team is here. Eiji arrived late last night from the taxi Kirin-nii sent. He made it just in time for the birth of the babies. Yes, _babies._ They're twins; one boy and one girl. They're going to wait until I arrive tonight to name them.

"Alright team, let's show everyone the strength of Kuragaku!" Buchou yells before putting his hand in the middle of the circle and we all follow suit.

"Kuragaku! Fight-O!" We yell, before taking our positions. The Golden Pair are up first since we've been doing going in doubles one so far.

Doubles 2. Kikumaru and Oishi versus Hanata and Uminko.

Result: Kuragaku win. 6-4. Score 1-0.

Singles 3: Monomi versus Kaito.

Result: Mishinami win. 6-7. Score 1-1.

Doubles 1: Fuji and Sato versus Dankishi and Yukuza

Walking up to the players, I notice that one of them look familiar. A quick flashback in my head I realize just who he is.

"You…" I breathe and he hears me.

"Oh? You must be the brother of that loser I defeated a decade ago. I could never forget that face and hair," he says laughing boisterously.

"You'll regret that," I say darkly, turning away to put on my sunglasses.

"Kinta," Fuji whispers, making sure to use my boy name in case anyone's listening. "Do you know Yukuza-san?"

I scoff, wishing that was only it. "_Know_ him? How could I ever _forget_ him? He's one of the boys that took my part of my sight." I say angrily.

At hearing this and knowing how I lost the part of my sight that allows me to be in most light and caused me so much pain he gets incredibly angry.

"Let's give them what they deserve." Fuji says, his eyes open and glaring at the pair across the court.

I only nod and get into the receiving position for my side of the court. He's going to regret that day for the rest of his life.

Already, Fuji and I activate our version of Synchro with two doors already open. The light is bright and warm. I put on my sunglasses and open my eyes to face my opponents. They'll see just how strong we are.

Of course, they're also strong opponents and use our weaknesses to their advantage. However, after we lost a second game I decide to break out my new move: roulette shot. The shot my opponent hit is a spin, so I get into position. I move my racquet in a half circle before slicing it back to the other side of the court in circles. The opponent only has one chance to judge the speed and distance of my shot. Otherwise I'll make it in and win this game.

With my opponents underestimating us, Yukuza misses his chance and we're tied 2-2.

I smirk and turn to Fuji. "Should I break out my secret moves?"

Fuji shrugs as if to say why not. Smirking, I get into position to serve. Making sure I have everything proportioned right, I drop the ball and perform something few, if any, have been able to accomplish: the zeroshiki serve.

The crowd gasps and is silent for a few moments before erupting with cheers. Even my team looks at me in astonishment. I only smirk in response before looking over a Fuji to give him an even bigger smirk. He had no idea what I was working on without him. Quickly, I finish my service with all aces, making the score 3-2 in our favor.

I turn to Fuji and jerk my head to the side. He frowns at me, but does as I say. He stays close enough to get anything I don't, but I can tell that he has no idea what I'm about to do.

"Just watch me," I say lowly, ready to perform a move only a couple of people have ever mastered. With the help of many videos and years of practice, this technique is finally ready to use.

Suddenly, the air around me begins to gather in circles, sucking everything in. The ever-arrogant Yukuza thinks I'm trying to be cool and doesn't think anything of it. My team however is stunned to see me performing their old Buchou's trademark move: Tezuka Zone. Even though it was called Samurai Zone before, I don't mind keeping the name Tezuka Zone.

So, when he serves I easily have the ball come to me and serve back without ever taking a step. The cycle continues for three services; all of which I win. Finally, Yukuza gets angry and hits an ultra-spin ball with a lot of power. I can't move in time to defend it, so the ball hits me in my sunglasses, shattering the lenses.

Gasps echo around the court and audience. The referee pauses the game and a medic comes to me. However, Fuji is already there assessing the damage.

"There's a small cut near your eyebrow, but it doesn't look too bad. The shards missed your eyes completely." He says, slightly relieved.

I smile weakly. I can still play as long as the cut isn't too bad. The medic comes over and deems me worthy of playing after putting a bandage over it.

"Do you want to play like this?" He asks, referring to my closed-eyes state. He can do it too, but my state is far more advanced.

"Of course. Besides, you and I have yet to reveal our new signature moves for your pair." I say, smirking in his direction. He smiles and returns to his receiving position.

"Game back on! 3-2 Kuragaku leads. 15-40 Mishinami serve!" The referee calls out before blowing his whistle to signal the start of the game.

Fuji easily gets the last point for our 4-2 lead. He serves this time and true to our name, Heavenly Pair, he's able to perfectly execute my Dice Serve. Only on a lucky third attempt does Dankishi hit the ball into a lob my direction.

Smirking, I get ready to unleash my new technique, of my own creation, straight at Yukuza. Bringing both of my arms across my chest, I turn my racquet on its side and cut the ball with extreme power, speed, and precision.

As the ball flies towards Yukuza, I pray that my technique doesn't fail me now. Just before the ball gets in hitting range, it splits open in half, divides itself on both sides of Yukuza, and comes back together before hitting the ground.

"Forty-love! Match point!" The referee stammers out.

"What the hell was that! Was that even legal?" Yukuza calls out to the referee.

"I call it Heaven's Lightning and yes, it's legal since I hit it as one piece and it hit the ground as one." I say smugly.

"Ah, continue the game!" The referee says.

I turn to Fuji. "Your turn." He smirks in reply and serves a speed shot.

Our opponents easily return it and we rally, waiting for the right hit so Fuji can reveal his newest move. Finally, Dankishi hits a straight backspin ball towards Fuji.

He smirks and gets into position. When the ball hits his sweet spot, he turns around rapidly and smashes the ball backwards into the court. The opposing team waits for the ball to stop spinning in circles on the ground and bounce, but it never does. This is a smash version of Tezuka's zeroshiki.

"Game Kuragaku! 5-2."

Fuji smirks and places his racquet on his shoulder in a cocky manner. "That's my Kami's Hand. After all, when Kamisama says something, you never get a chance to dispute it."

After that, I quickly finished the game with my zeroshiki serves. Our opponents were so shocked and embarrassed at their defeat they wouldn't even look us in the eye.

Momo is up next and if he wins, we'll go on to the semi-finals. However, looking at his opponents, I'm not too confident that he'll win. It seems like the first couple of matches weren't too heavy, but these guys… look like monsters.

Singles 2: Momoshiro versus Genkida

Result: Mishinami wins. 6-2. Score 2-2.

Singles 1: Inui versus Kogura

Result: Mishinami wins. 6-1. Score 3-2.

Yes, we made it to the semi-finals and won third place, but Mishinami's last two players were too good. Inui's data tennis failed him and Momo was over powered and out-played. Sadly, we head over to sit in the stands.

I'm disappointed that we didn't win Nationals, but now we know what to work on. There's no way that we'll lose next year, because we'll win for sure!

Fuji is obviously saddened by the loss, like everyone else, but we made it to third place so we should be proud.

After the last game where Mishinami ends up winning Nationals we all stand on the courts to receive our medals and such. Immediately afterwards, Tezuka finds Fuji and I alone on a deserted court.

"You've improved well Fuji." Tezuka compliments.

"Ah, but I still have a long ways to go before I'm able to beat you." Fuji says, looking at his greatest rival.

Tezuka smirks, but on the inside he knows that Fuji is closer than he thinks.

"Well, I have a plane to catch tonight, so I'll be seeing you both around." He turns and waves as he walks over, but not before he catches the light blush on both of our faces.

"Saa… shall we go visit Kirin and Rei at the hospital?" Fuji asks, leading me over to where Yumiko is at the car.

I smile gratefully at the chance to think about something happy and other than tennis. Fuji gets into the car first and Yumiko stops me before I get in.

"You told him." She states.

"Yeah, but he's not taking it well if you haven't noticed." I say before sliding into the car myself.

Yumiko blinks, because that's not at all what she thinks. By how much he cared on the court today she was led to believe that Shusuke had deep feelings for her. Feelings she probably isn't aware of yet. Smiling, she gets into the car and makes the long drive back to Tokyo.

"Kita-chan!" Kirin whispers into my ear as he scoops me up into a hug. "Did you win?" He asks, wondering about my medal.

"No, we won third place." I say with a hint of disappointment still in my voice.

He smiles and ruffles my hair. I scowl since he knows I hate have my hair messed up.

"Come see the babies. Twins! Can you believe it?" He exclaims happily while escorting me over to Rei.

"Kita," Rei whispers when I'm close enough. She hands me the boy to let me hold him.

"So what are their names?"

The two look at each other and talk in hushed tones for a few minutes as Fuji walks in to stand next to me.

"Aww… he's cute." He says, sticking his finger out for the baby to hold. "Saa… a strong grip for a baby."

"So, we want to name the boy Kinta, after you," Rei says smiling brightly. I gasp and blink rapidly.

"Eh? Why?" It's not even my real name.

"Why not? It's a great name since we're both so proud of you." I give a sheepish smile and decline their offer.

"I have a better name in mind."I say, thinking of great names for the both of them. Rei and Kirin smile brightly, ready to hear what I've thought of.

"How about we call him… Isamu," I say, looking up from the baby's tantalizing green eyes. "For courage to become great, wonderful, and to never give up."

"Sato Isamu… a wonderful name," Rei says smiling. She trades the girl for Isamu.

"Hmm… I haven't thought of a good name for her yet," I admit, still trying to think of something that's sweet, but not too girly.

"Masami," Fuji whispers next to me.

I turn to look at him only to see his eyes locked on the baby's deep blue eyes. "Masami…" I say louder and smile. "I like it."

"Then it's settled," Kirin says happily. "Welcome to the family Sato Isamu and Sato Masami."


	23. Girlfriends and Winter

Yumiko dropped me off at my house since Kirin-nii wanted to stay another night at the hospital with Rei-san. The doctor said she should be allowed to return home in another day or two. Thankfully the ride home was quick and quiet. Sunday was the last day I had to be by myself before I had to return to school and take my finals before winter break begin.

"Kinta-chii!" Eiji yells as he runs to glomp me in a hug.

I turn with my eyes wide and prepare for the glomp that would surely force us both to tumble to the ground painfully.

"Eiji!" Fuji calls from behind me, walking towards the courts. Eiji immediately stops and goes rigid before turning around to dash behind Oishi. I frown and turn to look at Fuji, but instead of seeing the death glare he gave his friend; his usual smile is in place. Raising one eyebrow, I shrug it off and continue my advance to the Golden pair.

"Nya! Don't eat me!" Eiji yells from behind Oishi.

"Eiji," Oishi sighs and tries to pry his best friend off from his back. "No one is going to eat you. Are you feeling all right?" Of course, Oishi failed to see Fuji's death glare when Eiji tried to glomp me just like I had.

"Hoi hoi! Why wouldn't I be?" Just like that, Eiji returns to his usual self, forgetting all about Fuji's strange behavior. Somewhere in the bushes by the courts was Inui, dutifully gathering data.

"MAMUSHI! I'll strangle you!" Momo yells as he chases after Kaidoh with the latter snickering as he flies by our small group.

"Saa, well I see that they're already over the loss of Nationals," Fuji says, smiling gleefully at Momo's enraged state. Surely he'll find out what it was that made his so furious… and maybe use it against him.

"Ah, well we all played our best, but they were just better," I say shrugging.

"That reminds me! How are you able to use Tezuka's moves, nya?" Eiji asks, eyes sparkling in curiosity. Even Fuji opens his azure eyes, staring at his best friend in wonder. As if the question was a magnet, everyone from the tennis team, and even fans, were over in an instant surrounding us.

"Eh, well… eto… about that…" I trail off, not knowing how to phrase my answer. Everyone leans closer, as if they're expecting a great secret to be revealed.

"I watched him use it and practiced a lot."

Everyone falls down to the ground in exasperation. I sweat drop and smile sheepishly.

"Well, it's not just Tezuka. I practiced and used Fuji's and Echizen's moves as well." I explain, trying to give the others credit.

"EH!" Everyone yells, eyes wide and looking in my direction. "Which moves!"

I glance around uncomfortably for a minute before giving in to the pressure.

"Well, it took me a couple of years to get Tezuka zone down, but that was because I didn't understand the dynamics behind it until recently. The zero-shiki drop shot and serve were easy to learn once I had my dice shot and 360 perfected. I really just practiced a lot."

Everyone looks at me as if expecting me to continue. Sighing, I once again give into peer pressure. "Fuji's moves took a lot of practice, but he helped me out with most of them. That was because it was necessary for our doubles to work well together. Of course, we each have our own special moves as well."

Staring at everyone's blank faces, I start to walk discreetly towards the school.

"Oi!" Momo calls out, stopping my retreat. "What about Echizen, eh?"

"Oh, well… just the split-step which also helped me to develop flash stance. His dad's technique also helped with my Tezuka zone."

"EH!" The shock of that news made everyone gape at me, so I took the opening to dash into the school and get ready for class. Reaching my usual seat, I breathe slowly for a few minutes before putting my things away.

"So, you studied me," Fuji states, leaning against the doorway. I glance up at him to acknowledge his presence and shrug.

"Eh, in a way I suppose. I attended a lot of the tournaments and studied many different people."

"Ah… like who?" He asks, taking his place next to me at our desk.

I glance at him from behind my sunglasses to measure what he's getting at. Even though we know each other the best it doesn't mean that I can read his mind. I haven't forgotten that he's a real tensai either.

"Atobe, Yukimura, Sanada, Akutsu, and others like them," I sigh since this isn't interesting. "Usually people with a lot of diverse skills or ones with unique abilities."

"Saa… is that why you don't like being called a tensai?" Fuji asks smirking.

I blink. "I never claimed to be a tensai and I don't want to be."

"Because you practiced everything until it was perfected." He states.

"I have my own moves and I use other moves that could potentially be beneficial to me," I pause, annoyed that the conversation is even happening. "If the moves don't work well for me then I don't use them. It's the same reason why I can't perform all of your counters."

"Eh?" Fuji just assumed that I could use all of his moves.

"Mmm. We each have moves that neither of us can copy. Besides, you have your special moves and I have mine. It doesn't bother me." I explain, amused by his shocked expression.

Of course, that expression doesn't last long and morphs into his usual smile. "Saa… is there anything you can't do?"

I raise an eyebrow. "You know there's a lot I can't. You of all people should be able to see the weaknesses in the moves I've copied and my play."

Truthfully, Fuji hadn't been analyzing his partner like he should've been during the tournament. Instead of focusing on my techniques, he allowed himself to be awed by my skill of replicating.

He smirks. "Well, there are holes in everything." Fuji knows this best of course. "Anyway, about-"

"Fuji! Sato-san!" Kawamura exclaims as he enters our classroom. "For securing third place at Nationals, come by the restaurant to celebrate on Friday! Oh, you too Inui." Kawamura waves as he exits the room.

Surprised, I turn around in my seat to see Inui hunched over his notebook and scribbling madly. Fuji doesn't look surprised, but opens his eyes to stare menacingly at Inui's form.

"What brings you to _our_ classroom Inui?" Fuji asks nicely. Well, I assume it's nicely because I don't hear the inflection or see the heated stare Fuji's giving him. I also miss the hidden meaning behind his words which is _What the hell are you doing ruining my moment?_

"Ah… I… uh… have some questions to ask you both," Inui recovers quickly.

"What can I help you with?" I ask, clearly not believing his lie.

"How exactly are you able to open the Doors while in Synchro?" He asks expertly, pen perched in his hand.

I blink and think for a moment before responding. "Well, there is a way for a person to open all of the doors, but I'm having trouble with one while Fuji has a problem with the other one. Therefore, we complete the Doors and transformation."

"Ah, so can you open the last door?"

"It doesn't really work like that." I say.

"Well, how-"

"I think it's almost class time Inui, so you should go," Fuji interrupts, eyes flashing at the data user.

"Right. We'll continue this later Sato-san," Inui says hurriedly, trying to escape the wrath of the tensai.

I glance at Fuji's peaceful face and frown. I think that he's still pretty angry with me, but is trying not to show it. Otherwise, why would he be trying so hard to keep the others away from me?

Eiji and Oishi come in and take their seats as well. Before the final bell rings we make plans to meet up at Oishi's house to finish studying for the exams that start tomorrow. I don't think I'll have much trouble with them, but I can never be too careful.

At lunch, Fuji manages to corner Kaidoh while Momo is getting a second lunch from the cafeteria and force him to spill why Momo was angrier than usual this morning.

Chuckling at the story, I can't help but ask, "So, you tricked Momo into asking An out on a date, because he saw a girl confessing to you."

"Fshh…"

"What did you say, nya?"

"FSHH!" A light blush forms on Kaidoh's cheeks.

"Yes! So, what's her name?" Oishi asks, interested in how the scary freshman (who actually looks pretty hot now that he's in high school) landed his first girlfriend.

"Wazashi… fsshh..." The blush on his cheeks deepens in color.

"Ah, Tsume-chan!" Fuji exclaims, smiling at the realization of who she is. Of course, my eyes dart to his smiling face and I wonder how he knows her. Obviously they've met.

"Fsshhh…."

"Wazashi Tsume, age 15, secretary for the student counsel, ranked 17th in her class, likes cooking, animals, and horseback riding. Dislikes include wasabi and dark places. She's 5'5", brunette, has green eyes, and is very kind. She had a crush on Kaidoh since last year when she transferred to Seigaku. She-"

"FUSHUU!" Kaidoh, who is now sporting a tomato-red flush, grabs Inui's notebook and rips it apart. Obviously, he's embarrassed about all of this personal information being said aloud.

"Ne, Inui," Fuji says, eyes glinting at the data-user. "Do you stalk everyone we know or may like?" Inui starts sweating and I frown in Fuji's direction. Is this some sort of hint that he likes someone else and is trying to stick it to me? I'm pretty sure that he doesn't know my true feelings towards him, but to think that he doesn't even consider-. No, it's not my place to be angry about something I never told him. He can like whoever he wants since he hates me now anyways.

"Ne, Kaidoh," I start, gaining his attention. "When is Momo going to go on his date with An?"

"Fshhhuu… after finals on Friday." He responds, staring at me in a contemplative manner.

"Hoi hoi! Let's spy!" Eiji says, cheering wildly from his seat.

"Ah… it'll make great-"

"Ii… Data!" Inui interrupts, scribbling furiously while Oishi and I sweat drop.

"Mou… I don't think we-"

I cut Oishi off. "We should _shut up_ now."

Momo sits down in his usual spot with a tray full of food.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" He asks, looking curiously at our faces.

"He won Inui," Fuji says happily, standing up from his seat. Everyone looks curiously at him and he puts on a creepy smirk. Going rigid, I recognize that smirk. He's obviously planning something bad.

Standing up quickly, I try to warn the others. "Thanks Momo, you really saved us."

Oishi, Kawamura, Kaidoh, and Eiji all stare between Fuji, me, and Inui. I glance at Oishi and subtly jerk my head to the side to tell him to get away and play along.

"A-ah… well I hope you'll survive," Oishi says with Eiji standing up abruptly afterwards.

"I don't want to die, nya!" Eiji yells, running from the room with Oishi trailing after him.

"Whaf are you guys fawfing abouf?" Momo tries to ask with food in his mouth.

"Saa… didn't you say you'd bring _that _today?" Fuji asks, smiling sadistically.

Kawamura now looks alarmed. "Eto… I need to prepare some things for my next class. I think Tsume-chan was looking for you Kaidoh!" Kawamura says quickly.

"Fushuu…" Even Kaidoh knows that if anything involves the tensai, Inui, and mysterious contexts that he should leave.

"Ah… if you're referring to my new-"

"Hai! Momo spoke up first, so he volunteered to be tested," Fuji says evilly. "Let me know Momo!"

Fuji walks calmly out of the room and I follow him. Pausing for a moment, I look back to see Inui pouring out a dark red sparkling drink into a cup. Momo's face is shocked with horror… that and food is falling out of his open mouth. Turning away, I quickly hasten my pace to catch up with Fuji.

"That was mean Shusuke," I tell him.

He shrugs and grins. "He didn't tell me about Kaidoh's girlfriend or his date."

I frown and don't say anything else. Why would Fuji be interested in this information anyway? Sometimes… he doesn't make any sense. In fact, he seems like he only wants to hurt others. Hmm… I guess he really is pissed about everything.

However, Fuji isn't angry about me that much anymore. He's trying to figure out a way to approach me to talk about things. Even so, he's pretty sure that I don't know that he knows that I love him. Much less… I'm posing as a boy, so it'll make it just that much harder.

Sighing, I enter the classroom and wait for the torture that is school to be over.

(Four days later, after exams)

"I'm finally free! Can you believe it Oishi?" Eiji exclaims while jumping off the walls.

"Hai hai," Oishi responds lazily, too tired from the exams to express enthusiasm like his best friend.

"Saa… we should get going if we want to spy on Momo's date," Fuji says, eagerly pulling out his camera.

"Hoi hoi! We're ready right Oishi?" Eiji asks, grinning from the top of a wall.

"Eh… Eiji! When did you-. How did-. Never mind. I'm not going. Too tired." Oishi says, waving them off to go home and take a nap.

"Mou! Can you believe that Fujiko? Even Oishi isn't interested!"

"Saa… at least we have _Kinta_ here," He says, stressing my fake name with that smile of his.

I frown. "Iie… I have things to do." I start walking away when Fuji's voice reaches my ears.

"Like what?" Curiosity litters his voice.

Sighing, I turn to face the pair again. "My family celebrates Christmas since Rei has family from America. I'm going shopping." Short, sweet, and to the point. That'll keep them from interfering.

"Oh? I'll go-"

"You're going to spy on Momo with Eiji." I say, not even turning back around to face them.

"Bye Kinta-chi!" Eiji calls.

Fuji is crestfallen, but doesn't show it. Obviously holidays are important, because they show the people you love how much you care. Fuji wanted to come with me, because he cares and normally would. Why had I shot him down, he wonders. Maybe I'm still mad at him not taking the news well.

Well, that would make sense if it was anyone _but_ me. I love him, even though I haven't said it yet. Or would I ever? Besides, Fuji always goes everywhere with me. I'm his best friend. So… is there a reason to why I don't want Fuji with me? Maybe… I'm getting him a gift?

Oh… how Fuji loves a good mystery. Still, he promised Eiji to go spying with him, along with Inui. He would just have to gather information from my family some other time about if I had actually gotten him something for Christmas. In the meantime, he'll have to find a gift for me as well.

_The game continues Kita-chan. _

Needless to say, spying was eventful for the trio. Momo was extremely nervous and made horrible jokes. Much to their horror, An actually enjoyed these quirks about Momo. The couple had decided to eat at a small café and play some tennis. Of course, Momo let An win, but she was quite good.

Even after spilling juice on her and eating some of her food, An smiled and kissed his cheek. Evidently she expected this from Momo and had a good time.

Fuji was disappointed to say the least. He wanted to go with me shopping, but now it was much too late and I was probably already home. Sighing, he bids the two good night and makes his way to his house.

Unfortunately for me, I'm stuck with a bunch of bags and desperately trying to get home. I keep trying to walk straight, but I just keep tripping. Sighing, I almost wish that Fuji was here to help me. Of course, that would mean he might get a chance to see his present, but at least I'd get home quicker.

Even though I'm still upset at how he took the news and is angry with me, I still feel like I should get him something. I like him… a lot, so maybe this will help smooth things over.

"Oh? What are you doing out here by yourself?" A haughty voice says from in front of me. Unfortunately, I can barely see over top of my packages, so I can't tell who it is.

"Who is this?" I ask, clearly annoyed.

"You've already forgotten Ore-sama? How rude."

"Eh? Oh… you're that guy who wanted to 'crush me,' right?" Just my luck, I meet that obnoxious, inconsiderate, jerk of a-.

A weight is lifted from my arms and I blink up at Atobe. "What're you doing?"

"What does it look like? Or, did Ore-sama just give you too much credit for being able to play tennis well." Atobe smirks.

I scowl at him. "You can hardly blame me from the way you treated me at the tournaments," I say, continuing on my way.

"Oh? That's because you weren't worthy in Ore-sama's eyes."

I scoff. "Right and I'm supposed to believe that I am now?"

He shrugs. "Believe what you want, but Ore-sama finds you intriguing."

Narrowing my gaze at him, I try to figure out his game. "Why is that? Before you were so adamant about me now being able to play."

"That was then and this is now," He shrugs. "Ore-sama has watched you play and deems you worthy of being in his presence. Besides, you look much better up close."

That last comment stops me in my tracks. "Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"Ore-sama does no such thing," He says, but I think he is. "However, I _am_ saying that your pictures make you look quite exquisite, Nataki-san."

We're near my house, but I stop dead in my tracks. How did he see those pictures? How does he know that last name? Is he really that powerful?

"I don't know what you're talking about. My last name is Sato," I say evenly.

He chuckles. "Oh, I did look you up." My gaze lifts to meet his. "You are Sato Kinta, formerly Sato Kita, your real name, and before that Nataki Kita. Daughter of Doctors Nataki Daichi and Nataki Yume. You were adopted by Sato Kirin and Sato Rei on your sixteenth birthday, March 24th. You-"

"Alright, I get it. What do you want Atobe?" I'm angry that he knows all of these things about me. I haven't told _anyone_ when my birthday is, who my real parents are, or anything about my life that involves them. He has to be up to something.

"Nothing much, other than you," He says, as he leans down quickly to kiss me. He almost does, but I reach around behind his head and yank back.

"Good luck," I say and grab my packages to hurry off to my house. Atobe stands there smirking. He didn't think that it'd be that easy to get me. He finds me interesting and finds that he enjoys watching me play tennis. Thinking that he'll get me one way or another, he walks off to his awaiting limo. It's a good thing my real parents are wealthy and prosperous doctors or he wouldn't even set his sights on me, a female tennis wonder who pretends to be male and defeats nearly anyone standing in my way.

Fuji, who was on his way home, saw the whole exchange. At first it looked like Atobe was escorting me home and he grew angry. Why was the monkey king around _his_ best friend and love interest? He grew angrier by the second as he watched him lean down to kiss me. Then, he was shocked when I yanked his hair back to stop him. This made him smirk and wonder why he was with me in the first place. After watching Atobe leave in his limo, he walks into his house and plans on what to buy me for Christmas.

After a couple hours of wrapping presents, I set them under the tree and wait for Kirin to get home. Rei has been in her room the whole day with the twins. I'm excited to have them for their first Christmas.

"Kita-chan!" Aniki yells as soon as he walks in the door.

I grin. "Aniki!"

"Are those presents… for me?" He asks, wide-eyed at all of the gifts.

I laugh. "Of course not! A lot are for the twins, a couple for Rei-chan, a couple for you, and one for-" I don't finish, still unsure if Fuji will actually accept my gift or not.

"Ah, Shusuke-san." He says, looking somberly at me.

"Yeah," I say weakly, still full of worry over my relationship with the blue-eyed tensai.

"It'll all work out. You know, you never told me what happened between you two."

I gulp. "It's nothing really, but I'm sure it'll work out like you say!" I give him a fake grin and he can tell, but doesn't say anything. Nodding, he goes into the bedroom.

Sighing, I wonder if this will get any easier.

"Kita-chan, why don't you invite Shu-kun over for Christmas?" Rei asks, walking out of the room with no babies.

I blush at the nickname. "I guess…"

She smiles encouragingly. "I'm sure that he misses you just as much as you miss him."

Getting up to get my cell phone from my room, I nod. I really hope she's right because I just want everything back to normal.

That's what I tell myself anyway, because I know deep down… I more than anything want to tell Fuji Shusuke that I love him… more than that I want him to love me back.

But judging by his reaction… I wonder if he really will.


	24. Celebrations

Exam week goes by quickly and I find myself with all of the other Regulars at Kawamura's sushi shop on Friday night. Momo and Kaidoh are bickering over something stupid, Inui is watching intently, Fuji's torturing Oishi, Kawamura is making the sushi, and Eiji is desperately trying to get me to try a bite of his eel.

"Mou, you don't care about me!" Eiji whines.

I stare at him and sigh. "That's not what I mean at all! I don't like eel all that much. Besides, the spicy shrimp rolls are my favorite."

Eiji scowls and picks up one of my rolls. "I don't see what makes them so special," he mutters. Before I can stop him, he pops one into his mouth and starts chewing.

"You know, this isn't so-" He pauses as his whole body turns beet red. "Hot! Hot! Hot!" He yells around frantically.

"Ne, sempai, what's in your rolls yeah?" Momo calls out, intrigued by my unusual red rolls.

"Saa… they don't look that your normal wasabi shrimp rolls," Fuji points out.

"Mm… Kawamura made these for me. They're tempura rolls, but marinated in a special spicy sauce. It's even better than what Rei makes me!" I exclaim happily.

Everyone looks weirdly at me.

"Ne, Inui," Momo whispers as everyone goes back to what they're doing. "Don't girls usually like sweet things not spicy?"

"Aa. 58% of females prefer something sweet, while 22% prefer something sour, 13% prefer something salty, 5% prefer something spicy, and 2% prefer something else," Inui recites which weirds Momo out.

"Eh heh heh… remind me not to ask again," Momo mutters.

"Hmm… I'll try one," Fuji says before he pops one into his mouth. His eyes widen and his face becomes slightly flushed. "That's pretty spicy."

"You like it?" I inquire, slightly surprised that he likes the taste since it's a lot different than his wasabi rolls.

"Mmm… it's unique, but I think I'll stick to my wasabi rolls," He smiles.

Sighing, I can't help but wonder if there's anything that fazes him sometimes. Still, the night has been going pretty smoothly. I wonder if-

"Tezuka has a girlfriend!" Eiji yells out making everyone freeze. A collective "EH!" is then heard throughout the sushi shop and the attention is put on Eiji.

"Fujiko! How- When-" Eiji sputters.

"Saa… I see you've found my phone," He says as he takes the cellular device from Eiji's shaking hands.

"Fuji-sempai, you saw Tezuka and didn't even tell us! I can't believe you didn't," Momo yells.

"Hmm… 79% chance that Fuji encountered Tezuka at Nationals, 18% that he found out my phone/text, and 3% from his contacts in Germany. 100% chance of him thinking of using it as blackmail and 85% chance of him going through with it," Inui proclaims while smirking behind his notebook and his glasses gleaming in the light eerily.

"What about the other 15%?" Oishi asks quizzically.

"Aa… that _someone_ will convince him otherwise," Inui says discreetly.

"Ne ne, Fujiko, what does your research say about her?" Eiji asks excitedly from his spot between Oishi and me.

"Hmm… her name is Lara Heidelberg, age seventeen, ranked fourth in her year, brunette, brown eyes, five foot six inches, and is vice captain of the soccer team, member of the art club, member of the community service club, treasurer of the student council, and lives in the dorms at the school," Fuji summarizes from his phone.

Everyone is silent as they take in this information. Then, all at once, they start the barrage of questions ranging from how long they've been going out to how she melted that icy heart of his.

"Everyone!" I call out to them so we can listen to what Fuji has to say.

"Well, Tezuka should be the one to explain," He says. We stare at him wide-eyed and think the same thing: Since when do _you_ care about other people's privacy.

"However," he continues. "I think that we all have the right to know about his special person." We all sweat drop and think 'Yep, that's our Fuji'.

"Although I'm not completely sure about all of the details, from what I've managed to figure out is that she started out not especially liking him, but after working on some projects and having a brother on the tennis team that she warmed up to him," He pauses to read over his notes for a second.

"After seeing him defending one of her friends for being bullied she thanked him with a painting of some sort. I never found out what it was. Since then they became closer and she eventually confessed to him. Evidently, Tezuka became fond of her for various reasons and seemingly took the chance of having a relationship," Fuji ends.

"Whatever she said when she confessed to him must've been convincing to make him take a chance at a relationship," Kawamura says as he resumes washing some dishes.

"Fshuuu…" Kaidoh agrees, remembering how stoic his buchou was and how he frowned upon relationships.

"Eh, maybe he just found a hot girl and wanted to- Ow! Mamushi, what was that for?" Momo cries.

"Fshuu… baka peach-head. Think about what you're saying about Buchou!" Kaidoh hisses, sparking a fight between the two freshmen.

"Hmm… doesn't seem like Tezuka would be careless in this sort of endeavor," Oishi muses.

"Hoi hoi! We should all be happy that Tezuka is happy, nya! Maybe he'll loosen up!" Everyone thinks about his comment for a moment but shakes their heads firmly in a no. Tezuka will always be an ice block on the court, girl or no girl.

"Saa… it must be nice though having someone who understands you on and off the court," Fuji ponders aloud. His comment makes my heart drop a little. I can't help but wonder if he's trying to hint to me that I'm not a good match since I play tennis. Still… I don't _think_ he knows about my feelings.

"Fuji," Kawamura calls. "Did you meet Tezuka at Nationals?"

"Mm… both of us did," He motions towards me. "He was there to collect data on the players and told us that the winners of next year's tournament will be invited to play Germany's top team, so we should be ready."

Whoops and yells soon follow after everyone digests Fuji's information.

"Hoi hoi! With O'chibi here we'll be indestructible!" Eiji shouts.

"Memorable!" Oishi says determinedly.

"Undefeatable!" Momo puts in.

"Fearsome fushuu…" Kaidoh hisses.

"Unforgiving," Fuji grins sadistically.

"Relentless," I put in, remembering all of the strong players that we barely beat or had beaten us.

"Have a 92% chance of becoming the national champions if we double our training and manage to take out the top competitors first," Inui says without a doubt.

"Mou… more training!" Eiji whines, knowing that Inui Juice will somehow find his way back into his life and that the training will be harsher than ever.

"Hai hai, but you'll have to if you want to beat Kamio and all the others in your acrobatic play and everything," Oishi says, remembering that the others have upped their game even more since last year.

"Hmm… I wonder who will become captain, you know?" Momo thinks aloud.

"Eh, I think it's time for me to leave," I say, glancing at the clock that says it's nearing eleven.

"Aa, I think I'll be going as well," Fuji says as I make my way to the door.

"Thank you for the meal Kawamura-san," I say bowing to him.

"Aa," Fuji agrees and turns to the rest of our team. "We'll see you all after the break."

Good-byes are heard loudly even after the door closes as Fuji and I make our way back to our houses in uncomfortable silence. In reality, we have no idea of what to say to each other.

Fuji thinks that I'm still upset with him being angry and such over keeping my identity hidden from him. He can't tell how I feel or if I'm even starting to forgive him. He knows from Tezuka that I'm in love with him, but what does 'love' mean to me? He knows I must care about him, but how much? Am I willing to give him everything?

I keep wondering if Fuji really still hates me or is even upset. Sometimes I think he's starting to get over it and all, but some actions and things that he says make me think otherwise. I know he has a long way to go in order to defeat Tezuka and come into his own person, but I feel heartbroken at the thought that he doesn't want me in his life. Can we really overcome this?

"Shusuke," I say quietly, still feeling like I'm standing on thin ice. I don't want to make him angry at me, especially over something like saying his name.

"Hmm?" He hums, seemingly pleased that I'm addressing him. I let out a small sigh at this and feel slightly more confident in asking him my question.

"Would you... Would you like to come over for Christmas with us on Sunday? I know it's really short notice and all, but-"

"Of course I'll come. What time would you like me to arrive?" He asks pleasantly. Inside, Fuji is feeling more light hearted and happy than he has in the past month or so.

"A-ah… around ten sound good? That way we can eat afterwards."

"Mmm… sounds like a plan," Fuji says before parting to head to his house. "See you then."

I smile to myself and whisper his last words "See you then."

Christmas morning will probably be one of my most favorite memories of all time. It's the twins first Christmas and it's also my first Christmas with Fuji. He came in with presents for everyone and I was really touched. I didn't expect him to get the twins anything, much less me, and to a further extent Kirin and Rei. However, Fuji is just that kind of guy and I seemed to have forgotten that.

"Thanks, you didn't have to," I smile at him, extremely delighted in him being here.

He takes off his long black coat and hangs it on the wall. Turning to me, I see that he came dressed to impress with a white collared shirt with a tight black sweater over top and his favorite pair of dark jeans. I know it's his favorite, because if he's not wearing dressy clothes or shorts it's usually this pair of jeans. I wonder if it's his only pair.

"Of course not," he agrees. "I wanted to, so it's not a problem." I can see the sincerity in his eyes; it's one of the things I love most about him.

Gazing upward, I see some snow still stuck to his disheveled locks of brown hair. Reaching up, I brush it off in the doorway and make sure there's nothing left. I don't quite realize how close I am to his face until I back away and nearly blush in embarrassment.

"Sorry… snow." Evidently, I also lose the ability to form coherent sentences when I'm embarrassed. Lucky me.

"Aa… thanks. So, presents under the tree?" He asks, steering the conversation in a friendlier and less awkward atmosphere.

"Yeah, go ahead. Rei and Kirin are just finishing getting the twins ready," I explain as I make myself comfortable on the couch near the large and colorful Christmas tree.

"Saa… how are they? Only a little more than a week old now," he states, looking in the direction of their room.

"Yeah. They usually keep us up at night, but it's worth it. I can't wait for them to grow up so I can start exploring their talents and have fun with them," my inner thoughts spoken aloud.

"Oh, you're not going to shove them into tennis?" Fuji asks.

I giggle. "Not unless that's what they want to do. I want to make sure they feel free to try anything and everything, not just what I want them to do."

"Mmm… you're a good aunt," Fuji states and my face heats up.

"Aunt…" I test the word on my lips. "Hmm… I actually hope they'll think of me more as a big sister."

He blinks. "Why is that? I thought Kirin is your brother."

"Ah, well, that's because-"

"Shusuke, you're here!" Rei interrupts me and emerges from her room with a newborn decked out in green.

"Ohayo, Rei-san. Is that Masami-chan you're holding there?" He stands up as she walks into the room.

"Hai, would you like to hold her?" Fuji nods his head and she carefully maneuvers the baby to him.

"Masami-chan really will become beautiful one day," I say.

"Mmm…" Fuji agrees, but can't help but think 'hopefully as beautiful as you'.

"Ah, there you are!" Kirin says as he walks into the room with a red clothed Isamu. "Well, since everyone's here we can get started."

After sitting down, Rei gasps. "Oh my, I've forgotten the camera!"

"Aa… if you don't mind, I have mine with me," Fuji offers. I notice for the first time that his camera is hanging around his neck. I wonder why I missed that.

"Oh, thank you Shusuke! You're so helpful," Rei gushes.

Fuji smiles in response and hands the baby back over to her mother. It's tradition that the youngest kids give out the presents, but since Masami and Isamu are too young we'll be handing the out.

Almost two hours full of fun, presents, cute faces, stories, laughs, and many pictures later Rei and Kirin stand up with the babies.

"Well, this is a lot of fun, but please excuse us for a bit while we feed the twins and then we'll continue the celebration," Rei happily says before she and Kirin walk back into their room to nurse.

"I should start getting the table ready." Starting to make my way to stand up Fuji gets a hold of my wrist.

"Wait for a moment," he pleads. Getting up from his seat, he makes his way to the door and reaches into the pocket of his coat for a small box. Returning to where I'm sitting, he places it into my hands.

"Alright, open it."

My eyes and fingers trace over the delicate wrapping paper of the small box before I tear it apart. Wrapping paper is meant to be savored in the moment, so I feel no regret in ripping it. Opening the lid of the box, my eyes dance over the gift inside.

"Oh, Shusuke…" I murmur quietly as I carefully pick up the treasure inside.

It's a small silver and blue pendant with the colors swirling around each other until they become one in the middle. Dangling on a silver chain, I bring it closer to my face to inspect it further. I turn to look at Fuji only to see his blue eyes open and watching me intensely. Holding back a gasp, I whip my head back to the pendant and stare at it.

It's only then that I realize that the colors match the exact same hues as our eyes.

"Kirei…" I breathe before ripping my eyes away from it to gaze into Fuji's.

"I'm glad you like it," he smiles. I can't help but think 'Like it? No, I love it.' It's the most beautiful gift anyone has ever given me.

"Aa…" I'm at a loss for words. Evidently, Fuji doesn't hate me as much as I thought he did. Even if I think that now, it's definitely hard to convince myself of it after that gift.

"I have something for you too." Getting up, I quickly take an envelope off from the tree and hand it to him. "I know it's not much, but I hope you'll…" I trail off, not knowing what to say after such a gift. Especially compared to what I'm giving him, I feel slightly ashamed. What will he think when he sees-

"Kami," he whispers so quietly that I'm sure I must've imagined it.

"I know it's not as impressive or beautiful as the necklace, but it's all I could think of. I mean, you have a lot of them, so what's another one, but I thought that it could be special. If it's not to your liking I come always return it, especially since you put more thought into yours. I mean, mine hasn't even arrived yet, so I thought the picture would've at least been some indication until it-"

"Kita," Fuji says quietly and I immediately shut up. "You're rambling."

I sigh. "I know, and I never do this, but after your gift-"

"Your gift is perfect," he says. He wants to add _you're_ perfect, but holds it back. "I'm shocked that you came across such a thing. How did you know?"

I blush slightly. "Your sister showed me around your house one day and when I looked in your room I saw all of those cacti. I know I shouldn't have snooped, but I saw a book lying open on your desk, so I took a peek. I thought it was interesting that you collected different types of cacti, so when I asked your sister about it she said you were having trouble finding one. I asked quite a few people and eventually tracked that one down for you. I don't know if you've acquired it or not yet, but-"

"Kita," Fuji whispers and leans over to hug me. "Baka, you ramble too much."

Shocked, I slowly move my arms around him and rest my head gently on his shoulder.

"So… you…"

He smiles and it's one of his rare (though increasingly becoming not so rare) genuine smiles. "I'm shocked that you would go through all of this trouble just to find me the rare ghost cactus."

I only blush, so he continues while his grin grows. "It's extremely rare, because the ghost cactus has many uses that are unique only to it. The needles are extremely long and thick, so animal generally won't go near it. The cactus itself can hardly be seen unless you're looking for it. But what makes it so amazing is that underneath it all, the liquid inside of it is sweet and is used for many purposes, but mainly when you drink some it'll repair any wound."

Smiling, I can't help but think that the cactus is so much like Fuji. He's hard to reach, a little sadistic, but underneath is all he's sweet and always mending the broken parts of me.

"I'm glad you like it." Of course, neither of us will admit just how much the gifts mean to us.

"Lunch time!" Kirin announces and we finally break eye contact. Smiling, we both get up and head for the kitchen.

It's not until hours later that Fuji decides to leave. He promises that the photos will developed soon and that he'll bring them over right away. In his hand is the photo of the cactus with the delivery date written on the back and the gift certificate that aniki and Rei gave him. Before he truly leaves my house, I shut the door.

"Thanks for not spilling that you know I'm a girl," I say quietly and his facial features shift.

"Of course, but I want to ask you one more thing."

Frowning in puzzlement, I say "Okay."

"Would you like to go to the New Year's festival?"

I blink; quite shocked that he would ask such a question. Is he really over everything, because I'm still not quite sure. Even so, is he asking me on a-

"Not a date," he says quickly after seeing my hesitation and questioning look. Although, he would really like to consider it as such. 'Not the right time,' he tells himself.

"Ah, well sure," I finally say. "After all, I've never actually been to the festival before."

Fuji's eyes open and widen at my blatant statement and wide smile. How could I have never been to the New Year's festival?

"Mm… I'll pick you up around eight then."

Smiling, I agree and bid him goodnight all the while thinking that even though it's not officially a date, it sure feels like one.


	25. Surprises and a tournie?

The New Year's Festival was great. Fuji picked me up right at eight before he whisked me away to downtown where all of the booths, rides, and parties were. Even though he said it's wasn't a date, it still was in my mind. Of course, it _is_ my first time going out with a boy, so why take the fun out of it by not calling it a date? Still, I wonder if the day will ever come where he'll ask me out as Kita, not his best guy friend Kinta.

Even dressed as a boy I still had lots of fun with Fuji. He showed me around to all of the traditional booths, the modern booths, we went on a few rides, he bought us some dango, and he was the perfect gentleman. Well, not exactly.

He was the perfect Fuji.

There wasn't any tension and things felt right, like where they're supposed to be. I wasn't worried about him finding out that I'm a girl since he already knew, so I let myself relax and enjoy the festival. Similarly, he seemed just like his old self; taking pictures of everything and getting others into trouble. Everything seemed to be normal, but it wasn't.

It was better.

I wondered if it could stay like this all the time, where I didn't have to pretend to be someone else. Of course I'm still me, but I'm holding back a lot of my true self. I thought about why that seemed so hard and my conclusion was it's because I don't like to lie to myself and my friends. Even by omission it's still lying and I didn't realize that until now.

The end of the festival had to be my favorite part of all. We were in a park a little ways away from all the noise and lying back on the grass gazing up at the stars. As we were waiting for the fireworks, Fuji asked me what I was thinking about.

"It's nothing," I replied.

"It's something since you have this thoughtful look on your face," He shot back.

I smiled, knowing that I'd been caught. "This night has been great," I paused and Fuji smiled. His eyes were already open and the blue orbs were silently watching me.

Opening my own eyes, I waited for them to adjust to the dim light of the stars and lamp. I blinked a couple times before I looked over at him. Unnoticed to me, his breath hitched as we locked gazes.

"Sometimes… I just wish…" Explosions cut off the end of my sentence and my eyes ripped away from his to look at the sky filled with fireworks. Sounds of bells tolling could be heard from where we laid.

At the end of it all, he walked me home. Instead of leaving me at my doorstep though, he stopped me at the entrance of my walkway.

"Kita," he whispered. "What were you going to say?"

I frowned. "When?"

"Just before the fireworks started you were saying that you wished…" He trailed off.

"Ah," I breathe, remembering what I had been thinking. "I just wish that it could've been me and then it would've been perfect. Anyway, good night Shusuke."

I left him there and retreated back into my house. I was scared to hear what he would've said. Vaguely I wondered if he knew what I meant at all. Either way, I already said it and there was nothing I could do about it now.

Fuji, who was walking home, thought about what I had said. The best (and only) conclusion that he came up with was that I wanted to go to the festival with him as Kita the girl, not Kita whose incognito as the boy Kinta. He grinned, thinking that it's another step in the right direction if I wanted to be more like myself.

He replayed those five words in his head over and over again. Then it would've been perfect.

Of course, he thought it went it perfectly, but there's always room to improve.

The last week of winter vacation goes by quickly and soon everyone is thrust back into the world of school. This time around things are much more relaxed with no tournaments coming up and no Fuji-Kinta drama. There's still tennis to look forward to and exams at the end of the semester, but there's only one thing currently on everyone's mind.

"U-17! Oh yeah, I'm goin' to beat those punks down, beat 'em way down!" Momo shouts out excitedly.

"Fushuu…" Kaidoh hisses in agreement.

"This time around we'll be even stronger, so let's just do our best," Oishi says determinedly.

"Hoi hoi! I can't wait to show off my new moves! Do you think they'll invite and middle schoolers this time? I want to see O'chibi, nya!" Eiji's bouncing off the walls and everything else he can reach.

"There's a 96% chance that Echizen will be at the U-17 camp," Inui recites expertly after popping up behind Kaidoh and the bouncing Kikumaru.

"NYA!" Eiji shouts, immediately clinging to Oishi. "Don't _do_ that!" He scolds.

"Do what?" Inui asks, pretending to be confused. Even the data-user is a little sadistic at times, especially when it involves Kikumaru.

"Saa… did everyone get a letter?" Fuji asks, ignoring the glaring contest between Inui and Eiji.

"Un," I grunt, confirming. Even though I received a letter in the mail, I know that I'm not going. It's an honor and all, but I rather my secret not get around before high school is up. Actually, I want as few as people possible to know so I can go on with my life not pretending to be someone else anymore.

Well, these are the reasons I tell myself, because if it wasn't for Kirin and Rei I'd probably suck it up and go to the camp. After all, this is my only chance at ever going. But since its Kirin and Rei who asked me to do this one favor for them, I couldn't say no.

_(Flashback)_

_ "Kita-chan, would you do us a favor?" Rei-chan asks sweetly._

_ "Of course! You know, neither of you ever ask for favors," I grin, excited to be able to do something for them._

_ "Good! Now, back in October we responded to go to a wedding for Rei's niece this March, but as you can see we have our hands full with work and the twins," Kirin begins._

_ "We also bought the tickets for the plane and the hotel, so instead of wasting the money we thought you could use the vacation and go to the wedding in our place," Kirin finishes._

_ I look at them book with a mixture of excitement and unease. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew that there had to be a catch to this. "So where am I going?"_

_ "California for two weeks."_

"_You said tickets, right?"_

_ They nod, so I continue. "So, how many are there?"_

_ "Oh, it's just the two," Rei smiles at me. "We were hoping that you take one of your friends to be your date."_

_ I think my heart skipped a few beats and was now making up for it by double-timing it. "D-date?" I sputter._

_ "Ah and I want a responsible boy to go with you!" Kirin demands._

_ "A-ah…"_

_ "I think Kikumaru-kun would be too rambunctious," Rei offers since she's only really met Fuji, Oishi, and Eiji._

_ "Okay, so I'll ask Oishi then," I finally decide, not wanting to get Fuji wrapped up in this mess._

_ "I think Fuji would be a better choice. He's handsome, charming, polite, and I know him better," Kirin says._

_ I nearly face palm. How could I have forgotten that Kirin's only met Oishi once? Of course he likes Fuji since he trained with us, came over a lot, went college hunting with me, and is my best friend! Of course, there may be an ulterior motive here._

_ "But Fuji doesn't know," I plead, hoping to get Oishi to go with me instead._

_ "Then this will be the perfect chance to tell him and allow him to get to know you," Kirin states._

_ "Aniki… do you just love torturing me?" _

_ He laughs. "Of course! And smothering you with love!"_

_ "Ah! No stay away!" I run away after that and shut myself in my room._

_ (End Flashback)_

I haven't even asked anyone to go with me yet, but now I'm certain that I couldn't. They're all so excited to go to the camp and I couldn't take that away from any of them.

"Kinta-chi!" Eiji yells. "Let's have a practice match!"

I smirk. "Don't regret it!"

I'm sure I'll think of something. The wedding isn't until March, during the break, so I should be able to find someone to go with by then. Well, I hope anyway.

A month flies by quickly and we're all training hard for an upcoming friendly match with Fudomine against Hyotin and Rikkai Dai. It's being held at Hyotin since the tennis courts are huge and allow for a large amount of spectators. Even people from Monthly Pro Tennis are coming out to interview, photograph, and report on the friendly dual-school match.

"Monomi-san," Tachibana calls out to buchou as he walks up to the courts.

"Ah Tachibana-san, I'm glad you made it," he replies and shakes the other captain's hand.

"Momoshiro-kun!" A soft high voice calls out.

"Ne, we don't really need to talk to him An-chan," Kamio says, trying to quiet down his crush.

"Oh? Did I hear a hot girl calling my name?" Momo asks, trying to search for the girl, but missing An since she's shorter than him.

"Momoshiro Takeshi!" An huffs.

"Eh?" Momo looks down, obviously playing with the cute brunette. "Oh An-chan, did you see a hot girl calling my name?" He asks with a grin.

She smirks and narrows her eyes at him. "You better be suggesting me, or I'm calling off our date later."

His eyes widen. "O-of course An-chan! Geeze, give a guy a break would ya?"

She sighs and smiles at him. "Only you Momo."

Kamio stands back away from them with angry tears in his eyes. He still can't believe that An chose that bike thief over him! Really, what does he have that Kamio doesn't!

"Saa… shouldn't we figure out our line-up before we begin?" Fuji proposes.

"Mm… since we know what everyone's talents are how about we pair some people up and have some matches?" Monomi-buchou adds.

"Ah, that way we won't waste so much practice time," Tachibana agrees.

In the end, the pairings went like this:

Ishida-Kikumaru pair

Sakurai-Kaidou pair

Uchimura-Momo pair

Kamio-Oishi pair

Mori-Inui pair

Tachibana-Fuji pair

"Ah, so for the three singles matches, who will they be?" Oishi asks.

"My data says that the singles players from Hyotin and Rikkai Dai will be Yukimura, Niou, and Atobe with 91.54% accuracy."

Everyone sweat drops. "Saa… just as expected of Inui," Fuji praises.

"Ehh, so the players going against them?" Chitose asks.

"Ibu, me, and Sato," Monomi announces.

I feel my body go rigid. "Me? Why not Chitose-san since he's a national-level player and I'm not? Surely he would be a better match against that bastard Atobe." I mumble.

True to his word, Atobe would find some way to pester me on his off time. Usually he would grate on my nerves by trying to ask me out to dinner, come over to his mansion, or even trying to blackmail me into playing a game of tennis with him. Yes, he is good-looking, but his arrogance and pompous attitude turns me off. Besides, I have enough of my own problems than to deal with the likes of Atobe.

"Is something going on between you and Atobe Kinta?" Fuji's voice cuts through my thoughts.

"E-eh? No, why?" Oh Kami, has he seen Atobe trying to seduce me?

"Oh? Then why don't you want to play him? I thought you wanted to show that Monkey King how to play real tennis," he teases me, trying to coax a reaction out.

My teeth grind. "Is that so? Well, I want nothing to do with him," I say firmly.

He leans down to whisper in my ear. "Have you been flirting with him?"

Fuji knows that I detest Atobe and even went so far as to slap him one day. He finds my predicament amusing and irritating at the same time. He wants nothing more than to rip Atobe a new one, but he would look foolish since he doesn't have any claim to me.

Of course, I think Fuji's serious and take it the wrong way. "How could you say that!" I yell.

"Ne, nande nande? What did Fujiko say?" Eiji says, bouncing around the courts.

"Nothing," I seethe. "Look, I don't want to be anywhere _near_ Atobe. I see enough of him already," I mumble the last part.

"I don't have any objections to play against Atobe," Chitose offers.

Monomi-buchou sighs. "Arigato Chitose-san."

"Alright, then Sato-san will be our alternate. Everyone find an open court and start practicing!" Tachibana orders before he looks to me.

"What's up that you can't play Atobe?"

I think for a moment before looking to see if Fuji's far enough away. "Atobe's been following me around and bothering me. He knows my secret and wants to expose me during a tennis match. At least, that's what he wanted before."

He frowns. "What changed?"

"He knows who I really am and for some reason or another is," I make a disgusted face, "attracted to me."

He blinks and his eyes widen. "EH?"

I sigh. "I know. He knows my real name, my family history, and everything else. He's got it into his head that I'd make a great girlfriend, but I think he's enjoying the challenge of trying to break my cover. He knows where my strength lies."

"Hmm and where is that?"

"With _him,_" I nod to Fuji.

His frown deepens. "Why Fuji?"

"A long story short is that he's my best friend and I lo-" I stop myself short and nearly smack myself on the head in embarrassment.

"You love him. This is why if he breaks your cover, the foundation will be in question, and you'll have to start all over again."

"Ah, but he's not exactly my foundation since I've been playing tennis before I knew who he was. It's just that if he breaks my game I don't know if I'll be able to play the same way since _he's_ helped me with a lot of my stuff. It's all so complicated and unnecessary. I wonder if it'd be better if I quit the team next year."

"No," he says furiously. "You definitely shouldn't. You're a part of the team here and if Atobe is pigheaded enough to believe that your weakness is your heart then you definitely have something to prove. Everyone needs you here. If any player tries to disqualify you he'll have to go through a lot of us, because you're talented and don't deserve to be held back."

I blink up at him. "This is the most I've ever heard you speak."

He grins and lets out a bark of laughter. "Well, An-chan was once indecisive if she liked Kamio or Momoshiro more. I guess I'm good at this if it involves females."

"Oi, don't say that out loud."

"Gomen gomen. Anyway, don't let him be all of your strength or else someone really will break your foundation down."

"Ah thanks."

Practice and the few days before the friendly tournament go by in a flash. We're all getting ready to face two of the toughest schools in Tokyo: Hyotin and Rikkai Dai. Who better to meet us at the gate but Atobe himself?

"Ore-sama gives you greetings and welcomes you into the grand school known as Hyotin! Lunch will be provided by Ore-sama as usual and feel free to mingle."

As we walk through I make sure to stay squished between Fuji and Momo, so that I won't be noticed by Atobe.

"Are? Where's Sato-san?"

Damn, I almost made it past him. Still, trying to act like I didn't hear him I try to make myself smaller.

"Kinta, your boyfriend is asking where you are," Fuji whispers into my ear. His voice sends a shiver down my back. When I realize what he said I yell "He is not!"

Oh, damn. Now he definitely knows I'm here.

"Shusuke, if anything happens to me it'll be on your head," I growl. His blue eyes open and look intensely at me.

"Oh, so should I save you then?"

I glare at him. "What do you-"

"Ore-sama has been looking for you," Atobe says as he grabs my wrist, effectively pulling me away from Fuji.

I glare up at him. "Really, because I was quite happy where I was," I grumble.

His eyes spark with disdain and maybe a little bit of jealousy. I don't notice since I'm staring longingly at my team's backs and pouting.

"You shouldn't make that cute of a face," Atobe says, using two fingers to tilt my chin up towards him.

I shrug. "Does it really matter when I'm only around you?"

He smirks. "Ah, but what if there were others around?"

I look around sharply and sigh. "Don't fool around Atobe."

"You know, a cute girl should call ore-sama by his name," he says.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Why should I call you Keigo?"

"The same reason ore-sama should call you Kita, because you mean something to ore-sama."

I scoff and turn to make my way to the food. He comes up beside me and keeps talking.

"You know, you should be flattered that ore-sama has taken an interest in you."

"Yeah, it's only because you want to expose me as a girl, break my tennis game, take me out because it's good for your wealthy reputation, and I have no interest in you."

"Hmm… ore-sama heard through the grapevine that you're in need of a date for a wedding this break," he hums.

I look at him sharply and stop walking. "How do you know about that?"

He doesn't miss a beat. "I have my connections. You know, you'd look stunning next to me if we were to attend the function together."

I nearly let my jaw drop. Atobe didn't say 'ore-sama' once in those two sentences.

"I don't need you to be my date or anything else Atobe."

"Hmm… we'll see. I know for a fact that Fuji Shusuke won't be going with you," he says and I give him a sharp look. "He'll be attending the U-17 camp and forget all about you. His family isn't as wealthy as mine. He doesn't know anything about you so-"

"He knows plenty about me! More than you'll ever know," I glare at him.

"Ho? A little defensive there," he chides. "Perhaps I should inform him of your situation."

"Leave me, and him, alone Atobe."

"We'll see," He says before walking away to his team. My gaze doesn't leave his back until I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"You alright Sato-san?" A soft voice asks.

I turn around to face An. "Yeah, let's go An-chan." We walk back towards our teams.

"Welcome ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, and tennis players from all schools! This year Hyotin is hosting a friendly tournament-style match with Rikkai Dai against Kuragaku and Fudomine! All players please report to your designated court and wait for the match to begin!" A man announces.

"There are only four courts open," Oishi points out.

"Ah, that way the audience only has to watch four matches at a time," Inui explains.

"Alright, well everyone take your places to begin!" Tachibana-buchou orders.

"Hai!" The boys' chorus.

The following are the pairs and the results:

Ishida-Kikumaru pair versus Marui- Kabaji

**Result: **Kuragaku win 6-2.

Sakurai-Kaidou pair versus Jackal-Hiyoshi

**Result: **Kuragaku win 7-6

Uchimura-Momo pair versus Kirihara-Shishido

**Result: **Hyotin win 6-4

Kamio-Oishi pair versus Yagyuu-Gakuto

**Result: **Hyotin win 6-5

Mori-Inui pair versus Yanagi-Oshitari

**Result:** Kuragaku win 7-6

Tachibana-Fuji pair versus Sanada-Atobe

**Result: **Undetermined due to an extremely lengthy tie-breaker.

Yukimura versus Chitose

**Result:** Hyotin win 6-1

Niou versus Monomi

**Result**: Kuragaku win 6-4

Akutagawa versus Ibu

**Result: **Hyotin win 6-2

"Since one game was cut short, we'll have the reserve players decide who the winner of this tournament will be," the man announces again.

I look at Fuji and glare. He smiles sheepishly at me.

"Why didn't you win?" I ask.

"Maa… they were a really great pair! I can't use our doubles formations and moves with Tachibana-san, so there wasn't much I could do but try to draw it on and look for an opening to win."

My glare still doesn't dissipate. "Do you think you could take either of them in a singles match?"

He shrugs. "Depends. I'm still not fully able to use the Doors however and whenever I want yet."

"Mmm…" I hum and pick my racquet up from beside me. "I'll try to make this quick."

Quick it was. I won 6 games to two. He's a great player, but I have a mixed style of going from counterpuncher to all-rounder. A great match and I'm sure that if he practices enough he'll be more of a challenge for me next time.

"The overall winner of this friendly tournament: Kuragaku and Fudomine pair!"

Our team shook each hand of our opponents. They're really strong. Some pairs worked out beautifully and others not so much. This was the whole point though: to see who could mesh and where our strengths lie. Obviously, if we got to choose our opponents the tournament might have gone an entirely different direction. I'm not going lie, some of those players are scary good and have monstrous strength. I hope I'll never have to go against any of the three kings of Rikkai Dai.

"Sato," Atobe calls out before I leave. "Don't forget ore-sama's offer."

I glare in return and continue to make my way home with Fuji. Fuji looks between us suspiciously, but he already knows I hold no interest in him. As far as he thinks, I'm just turning down another one of his offers for a date.

"Kita," Fuji whispers as we near my house. "Are you ready for the camp next month?"

It's already nearing the end of February, so that means the camp is only a month away. I haven't told anyone that I'm not going, but this will have to do.

"Shusuke, I'm not going," I tell him quietly.

He nearly stops walking, but opts to go at a slower pace.

"Is it because-"

"Yeah, but it's alright! You should definitely go since this will probably be your last time," I explain, genuinely happy for him to go. It's only because I know I'm being selfish by wanting to ask him not to and come with me to America that I'm happy. I won't ruin his chances of getting scholarships and sponsorships because of me.

He gives me the look that says he knows that's not all, but I let it go. Sometimes I forget that Fuji knows me so well and can look right through me, especially when I'm lying.

"If this is want you want." No, of course it's not what I want. I want to go, I want to play, and I want to show everyone that I can become one of the best. However, I already made that promise, so I have to keep it. It doesn't matter how much it hurts.

"I'll see you in school Shusuke," I say quickly before ducking into the safety of my house.

"Aa, Ja."

**A/N: So, thanks for reviewing everyone and I hope you enjoyed this chapter **


	26. An article and Fuji's birthday

"Kita-chaaan," Kirin-nii drawls out.

"Hmm?" I hum, wondering what we could be so worked up about this early in the morning.

"Oh, don't be that way!" He pouts, even though he knows I haven't said anything yet. "A nice 'good morning' would've been nice or even 'Oh aniki! It's so good to see you have a day off once in a while. You truly deserve it.' Or something like-"

"Aniki," my tone is firm and he stops blathering on and on about things I never say.

"Right, so as I was going to the store this morning, since we didn't have any milk, eggs, bacon, cereal, diapers-"

"Spit it out!" I say, half annoyed and half amused at his antics.

"Geeze, well as I was checking out I saw the newest edition of Monthly Pro Tennis so, thinking of you, I bought it and guess what I saw inside!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Coverage from the friendly tournament last week?"

He pouts instantly. "Mou… Kita-chan! You're no fun," he whines before perking back up. "That's not all though! There's an article in here about _you!"_

I blink, taking this information in for a few long seconds. "EH!"

Snatching the magazine out of his hands, I flip through it to find the coverage from the tournament. Sure enough, there's a large picture of me in the top right corner and an article underneath. I recognize the photo from my match with Ootori-san where I won the tournament with us.

"I didn't know that you were doing interviews now," Kirin says, sitting across from me at the table.

"I'm not," I reply and look down to the bottom of the article. "However, Buchou is."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Monomi-buchou did an interview with a reporter _about _me," I explain. "Look."

Handing him the magazine, he begins to read:

_The Player Behind the Shades: Sato Kinta_

_Sato-san is a new Regular for Kuragaku and an upcoming tennis star among the high school section. He entered Kuragaku just this year and easily rivals tensai Fuji Shusuke. This prodigy can be easily spotted amongst the other tennis players by his short stature, purple hair, and dark shades. True to the rumors that he is a National-level player, Sato-san has beaten National-level players in Singles as well as Doubles. Surprisingly, he plays doubles with resident tensai Fuji Shusuke and they have become nationally known as the Heavenly Pair._

_Although we've seen him play in the tournaments this year, it seems like this is his first time playing in tournaments ever. This only adds to the mystery that is Sato Kinta as no one has yet seen his eyes that are either closed or behind dark sunglasses. Here today to answer some questions about the mysterious prodigy is Kuragaku Captain Monomi-san._

_S: How long have you known Sato-san?_

_M: Just this year when he first entered the tennis club. I'm his senior and Captain._

_S: I see. How is his play style?_

_M: It's unique. He came to us with his own moves, but quickly developed the moves of others and new ones of his own. His play is very similar to Fuji's._

_S: Yes. Did you know about his ability to replicate some of the more advanced techniques like zero-shiki drop shot and Tezuka Zone?_

_M: No, Nationals was the first time he ever used them. Not even Fuji knew._

_S: Fuji Shusuke? He's Sato-san's Doubles partner._

_M: Yes and best friend. They're in the same class and practically inseparable, especially when they're working on their Doubles._

_S: Oh? How did they become Doubles partners anyway?_

_M: I have no clue. I believe they've been keeping it secret, but I know that Nationals was the first time they officially played. I'm still stunned when I remember their first match. They are truly fearsome and stunning at the same time._

_S: Do you think they'll give the Golden Pair a run for their money?_

_M: (laughs) That will be a match to remember!_

_S: Have you ever seen Sato-san's eyes?_

_M: Actually no. He either has his eyes closed or sunglasses on, no matter if it's indoors or not._

_S: Is he blind?_

_M: (laughs) Oh no, definitely not._

_S: He has many female admirers, do you know if he has a girlfriend?_

_M: I've never seen him with girls much, so I think that he's not interested yet._

_S: One last question. When you graduate this spring, who's going to be Captain and Vice-Captain?_

_M: (smiles) Fuji and Sato for sure._

_S: Thank you for taking time out of your schedule Monomi-san._

_M: No problem._

_Article written by: __**Shiba Saori**_

The magazine quickly crumples as my fists tighten in anger and embarrassment around it. How could Buchou _do_ this? Don't I have any privacy? True, there's not much in the interview that gives away anything, but I never agreed to this!

"Buchou," I mutter. "On Monday, you are _so_ going to get it!"

"Are? Kita-chan, where are you going?" Kirin asks me as I stomp towards the front door, grabbing my tennis gear along the way.

"To let off some steam and buy Fuji's birthday present."

As the door slams, Kirin vaguely remembers seeing Fuji's birthday listed for the tennis players with birthdays in February and March.

"Hmm… I wonder if I should spy," Kirin wonders, but remembers the scary face and bad mood I'm in, so he decides against it.

"Kirin! Come help me with the twins!" Rei yells from the other side of the house.

He sighs, remembering that even though it's his day off he still has a wife and twins to take care of. "Coming honey!" Maybe he'll spy another time.

After an hour of terrifying some middle school students and wiping the floor with anyone who challenged me at the street tennis courts, I felt well enough to leave. Of course, I'm still bitter about the whole thing, but I doubt I'll run into anyone who knows me.

"Ah! It's that guy that goes to high school with sempai-tachi!" A boy yells from behind me as I getting my things together to leave.

"Horio-kun, that's Sato-sempai," Another boy tells the obnoxious one.

"Huh? Sato-san? Oh! You must mean the one from Monthly Pro Tennis!" Horio shouts and starts cackling. "I doubt _that's_ Sato-san! He looks so weak!"

"H-horio-kun…" Another voice says.

"Sato-san is supposed to be super strong and rival Fuji-sempai! I doubt that shorty over there could hold a candle to him," Horio loudly states.

Everyone backs a good distance away once they sense my angry aura. Out of the corner of my eye I see a high schooler that I demolished run up to the trio. He starts whispering something to them and frantically points to me.

"H-ho-Horio-ku-kun," one of the boys begins but is cut off by his stupid cackling.

"I, Horio Satoshi, am a reserve player for Seigaku! I can _easily_ beat that short-"

"Oi," I call, my voice deepening and eyes flashing behind my sunglasses. Walking over to the trio, I see that two of them start cowering and shivering.

"What do you-" Horio begins before turning around to look at me.

"Just because you're a few inches taller than me and have more defined muscles does _not_ give you the right to slander me. If you really want to test out how _weak_ I am then come play a game," I grin evilly. Seriously, he just put me in a bad mood.

"Kachirou, don't you think we should warn Satoshi?" A boy whispers.

"Katsuo! T-that's S-s-sato-sempai! I don't think we should anger him any further," Kachirou says.

"Mmm, maybe he'll teach Satoshi a lesson," Katsuo agrees.

Horio cackles loudly again. "Fine, I accept your challenge! You should be honored that the great Horio-sama has agreed to this!"

I smirk, swing my racquet over my shoulder and head to the open court. "Just don't start begging me to stop when you're down four games," I call back to him.

"Katsuo, Kachirou!" I shout to the boys. "Be referee and score keeper."

They both stare at me shocked. "H-hai! Hai sempai!" They shout before running over.

"Let's begin," I state smirking. There's no way in the world that I'll go easy on him after he's insulted me. I'm already having a bad day too.

Starting off my first game, it's an ace service with my speed serves. I should probably thank Inui later for helping me develop quick and powerful shots. Of course, Horio doesn't seem too fazed yet.

"That was just luck! It's my serve now!" He hits a "speed" serve which is probably only three-fourths the speed of mine and half as powerful. I return it easily and toy with him a little before showing off Fuji's Higuma Otoshi.

"Wha! I told you that's Sato-sempai, Horio-kun!" Kachirou shouts.

"Heh, well a few other players can do that too!" He yells back. I sweat drop at seeing how arrogant and naïve he is.

I quickly end his serve games with return aces and win my next service games with Dice Serve. I watch happily as his eyes widen when he begins to realize that I am Sato Kinta and that he's not getting out of this.

"Yes, finally realize that I am indeed Sato Kinta? I feel quite disrespected since you already met me a couple of times at Kawamura's when we were celebrating. Even more since you slandered me," I growl, lips pulled back in a snarl.

"Heh heh, sempai! You know I really do respect you, but I forgot that you were so-"

"I dare you to finish that Horio Satoshi."

He gulps. "So strong," he tries to finish.

"You shouldn't have said anything."

Needless to say I also demolished him. I ran him around the court for a _long_ time and used quite a few of my techniques on him, just to scare him a little. If he's even _thinking_ about being a Regular next year then he'll definitely remember this.

"I'm surprised you weren't begging by the fifth round," I sarcastically praise Horio. "Thanks for the cool down."

This time I pick up my things and leave for real. All the while the crowd around the tennis courts murmured about how strong I was since this last match was just a cool down for me. Finally in a decent mood, I change my shirt in a restroom nearby and decide to get some food.

Seeing as how I've never actually been to a burger place before, I figured I might as well drop in and see what they have. Hmm… milkshakes, colas, fries, burgers-

"Sempai!" I hear a voice calling. I try to ignore it and focus on what I'm getting for lunch. Probably a shake, burger, and-

"Yo! Sato-sempai, over here!" Since I actually hear my name this time I look over to see who it is. Upon locking my gaze with purple eyes I inwardly groan. This is just not my day.

Quickly, I order my shake, burger, and fries before walking over to where Momo and Echizen are. Bring as chair up next to their booth, I sit down and shrug.

"What's up?" My food is placed in front of me and I start munching on some fries.

"I didn't know that you let Buchou do an interview for you," Momo says grinning.

I frown. "I didn't _let_ him do anything. I didn't even know about it until this morning," I grumble.

"Oh? You let your captain get one over you. Made made-"

"Don't even finish that," I cut him off coldly. He looks at me for a moment before shrugging. Since he knows that I'm a girl, he figures that it's just that time of month.

My gaze narrows at him. "No, I've just had a bad day," I say making the prodigy's slightly widen since I guessed what he was thinking.

"You never show us what's behind those shades, so what's behind them?" Momo teases before reaching for them.

"You touch them you die," I state before finishing off the last of my fries.

"Oh? How will you get any girls if you hide your eyes sempai?" Ryoma teases.

I glare though they can't see it. "Hmph, like I care." Ohh… that was the wrong thing to say.

Momo chuckles. "You know, since the magazine says that you're not interested in girls, you must be interested in guys."

"Of course, since you both know," I agree cautiously.

Momo chuckles a bit louder while Ryoma smirks. "You know sempai, for anyone who doesn't know they'll think you're gay."

My eyebrows shoot up and I blink rapidly. True, it would seem like that. Heh, if only the guy I like wouldn't be so oblivious. "Well, if that ever happens then for now I will be."

Momo chokes on his cola. "Made made dane, Momo-chan-sempai," Ryoma teases.

I crumple up my empty burger wrapper and stand up to throw my stuff away.

"Ne, do you like anyone sempai?" Momo asks while Ryoma smirks.

"Ne, have you asked out An-chan yet?"

Momo goes red and Ryoma's smirk widens. I hold up my hand in a wave before leaving the restaurant.

"Ne, since you have asked out An doesn't that mean she does?" Ryoma says.

Momo chokes on a fry. "You're right! I wonder who it is."

Ryoma only smirks and thinks, 'Made made dane _sempais'._

Annoyed, I walk away from the restaurant in search of Fuji's birthday present. It's the twenty-ninth of February, but this year isn't a leap year. I'm trying to think of what I could get him, but nothing really seems to jump into mind. Seeing a bookstore up ahead, I take a detour to see if there's anything he'd like.

The door rings as I come in and a couple associates greet me. Walking towards the back part of the store, I find the photography section. Figuring that Fuji loves art and photos he might enjoy some books on different techniques and styles of photography. Pleased with my inference, I walk up to the front counter to pay for the two I picked out.

"Sakuno, Sakuno," a girl loudly whispers to her friend. "Isn't that Sato-sempai?"

"Tomo-chan!" Sakuno scolds. "Don't be so loud. Hai that is sempai."

"Ne ne, Sakuno-chan, isn't he hot? He's so mysterious! I bet he has gorgeous eyes just like Fuji-sempai and Ryoma-sama," Tomo gushes as she speaks a million miles per hour.

"Tomoka, I think it's best to leave sempai alone. He doesn't look like he's having a good day," Sakuno whispers as she sees the foul aura around me from just listening.

Tomoka giggles profusely. "Non-sense! I want to see if the rumors from the article are true! I bet if he doesn't notice a pretty girl like me he must be gay! Do you think he likes Fuji-sempai? He's with him all the time and-"

"T-tomo-chan! It's not nice to say things like that. Leave sempai alone," Sakuno pleads as Tomoka ends her rant and starts walking towards me.

I finally pay for the books and turn to meet her. "You know, it's not nice to spread rumors," the corner of my lips twitch in annoyance.

Tomoka at least has the decency to look embarrassed, but she just doesn't give up. "Will you go on a date with me?"

I nearly laugh in her face. Seriously? Who does she think she is?

"Now now, you're going to ask me on a date just after you insinuated that I'm gay? Please. At least your cute friend over there has some modesty and respect," I comment back at her before walking away.

Since I commented on her friend being cute maybe it'll stop those rumors from going around. It's not like I care if I'm "gay" since then I would in reality be "straight", but this whole this is grating on my nerves.

After walking for a couple more minutes a spot a familiar mop of red hair exiting the pet store. Figuring the person is Eiji, I walk towards him to get some comic relief. I doubt that Eiji reads Monthly Pro Tennis, but even if he did I'm sure I could distract him.

"Kinta-chi!" Eiji yells out before pulling me into a bear hug. Seriously, why do tennis players have to be taller and more muscular than me? Yes, it makes them look sexy and strong, but sometimes I wish they'd look a little plainer.

"Ah Kinta-san, it's good to see you," Oishi greets. Of course, I should've known that Oishi would be with Eiji.

"Yeah, both of you. What're you up to today?" I ask.

"Oh! Look, I just bought some new toys for my parrot! Before that Oishi and I went to the convenience store and I got some new toothpaste. It's chocolate covered banana flavored. I hope it tastes as good as it sounds, because one time I tried the peach-mango smoothie flavored toothpaste and it made me sick for a week! Kaa-san wasn't too happy with that and-"

I nodded to Eiji's rant in the beginning, but he soon tired me out. Knowing how long this could go on for, I turn to Oishi.

"Prepared for the camp?"

He smiles. "As much as I can be. I'm sure that once we're all there we'll get better. By the way, I saw that you didn't turn in your form to go."

My smile falters. "Eh, yeah. I'm not going, because I have things to do during that week."

Oishi frowns, worried. "Wha-"

"Hey! Don't ignore me, nya!" Eiji pounces on us.

"Ah, gomen Eiji! I'm glad that your family is doing well," I say to placate him.

He shrugs. "Oh, Kinta-chi, I saw that article in Monthly Pro! I can't believe-"

My frustration returns. Why can't everybody just leave the stupid article alone?

"Ah! I have to go meet a friend at the park. See you guys later!" I quickly say before leaving.

Oishi and Eiji look at each other.

"I was only going to say that I couldn't believe buchou was going to make either her or Fujiko our buchou next year," Eiji explains, looking worriedly at his best friend.

Oishi shrugs. "Maybe it's because Monomi-buchou did the interview for her?"

Either way, the two decide to ignore my strange behavior for now and continue on with their day.

Meanwhile, I walk towards the park that's near my house. It's pretty big and I figure that today's a good day to just relax without any –

"Fushuu… Sato-senpai," Kaidou greets me.

"Ah, Sato-san," Inui also greets as they jog in place next to me outside of the park. "Would you like to join us in our training?"

"No thanks. I want to have the day to myself," I wave off their offering.

"Well, in that case I want to talk to you about-"

"You know Inui, Kaidou, I really have to get going, so I'll see you both at school tomorrow," I quickly say in order to escape what's sure to be Inui's "data-collecting" on my reaction from Buchou's interview.

"Did I say something Kaidoh?"

"Fushuu…"

"Mmm… interesting," Inui mumbles, quickly scribbles in his notebook, and then proceeds to catch up with Kaidou who's almost all the way down the street.

Lying on a bench, I close my eyes and pretend that it's nighttime. The dark is my favorite time of the day where I can live to the fullest and bask in the glow of the stars. Those stars that I so desperately want to become like. Ever-shining, ever-loved, and ever-beautiful.

"You know, misery loves company," a voice calls from above me.

I open my eyes and lift myself up into a sitting position, staring at the person in front of me.

"Yumiko-san? What are you doing here?"

She smirks. "Typically people come here to play or enjoy the scenery," she sits down beside me. "However, you are doing neither and don't give me that face. I can tell that your eyes were closed behind those shades. So, tell me what's wrong."

Frowning, I stare at the ground. "It's nothing really. Just that stupid article in that stupid magazine," I mutter.

"Oh you mean from Monthly Pro?"

I groan. "Yes! All day people have been either talking crap about me or how I'm supposedly gay for my doubles partner."

Yumiko laughs. It's a light sounding giggle, but it's enough to make me stare at her in confusion.

"What's so funny?"

"It's nothing really. I didn't really realize how Shiba-san made it sound like you were gay since I know that you're a girl. So, it's just funny that you're taking offense to it," she explains.

My face heats up a little in embarrassment. "I'm not taking offense to it!" I yell. "I just… don't like it."

She smiles sweetly at me. "Well, I hope you know that Shusuke and I are very excited for you to be nominated as captain for next year."

I glare at the ground. "I don't deserve to be captain. I don't have a lot of moves like Shusuke, the strength like Momo, Kaidou's stamina, Eiji's versatility, Oishi's cool thinking, Inui's data skills, or even Echizen Ryoma's talent. All I have are a few special moves, lots of hard work, skills I copied, and a bit of quick thinking," I mutter, angry at myself at how weak I sound.

Yumiko smiles lightly at me and puts her hand on my knee. "Compared to any other tennis high school Regular, you're probably the best."

This surprises me and I look towards her. "I've watched you play, both of the school's teams play, and have read about the others, so I know. Now, if Monomi-san thinks that you're a good candidate then I believe in him and so should you. After all, you already know everyone so well."

I smile. "Thanks Yumiko-san."

"Hai hai, but call me Yumiko-chan. San makes me feel so old!"

We both laugh before I remember what I was supposed to be doing today.

"Yumiko-chan, do you know what Shusuke would like for his birthday?"

She looks at me in surprise. After recovering and thinking about it she shakes her head sadly. "I'm not sure. I bought him some more art supplies and film. Shusuke's out for the day, so if you want an idea you can come over and I'll show you something that no one outside our family has seen."

I grab my bag and stand up with her. "Does it have to do with the locked room down the hall?"

She smiles at the memory of the tour she gave me. "Exactly."

(About twenty minutes after I left my house)

Fuji had taken the day to go see an old friend. He decided that he had a bit of time before his train departure that he would stop by my house to hang out for a bit and to also tease me about the article from Monthly Pro.

Reaching my door he gave a few sharp knocks before stepping back a little. Waiting patiently he stared around at the yard before the door opened to reveal two infants.

"Fuji-kun? What brings you here?" Kirin asked, balancing the babies in his arms.

"Hmm? Isn't Kinta home?" Fuji asked puzzled. Usually I always answer the door, especially if Kirin and Rei are busy with the twins.

"Ah, no actually, but why don't you come in?" Kirin asked, stepping back from the door to allow him to come through.

Fuji smiled happily at the offer. Kirin's comfortable to be around and a great guy. Since last year they've grown closer in their strange friendship. "Arigato Kirin-san." Slipping inside, he quickly put his shoes away and followed Kirin into the living room.

"Ah, Shusuke! I was wondering when I'd see you again," Rei called from walking out of the master bedroom.

"Ah, sorry it's been so long Rei-san," Fuji apologized before saying what's on his mind. "I didn't know Kinta had any plans for today."

"Oh, well, um, he had some errands to run and steam to blow off," Kirin explained before muttering the last bit.

Fuji grinned. "Saa I was just going to talk to him about the article."

"Mmm… It seems your buchou did it without telling he-him," Kirin stumbled. "It made him pretty mad."

"Over what? Unintentionally calling him gay or announcing to the world his candidacy for captain?" Fuji slyly asked.

Kirin sweated at the boy's antics. "Both I think. Anyway, are you excited for the U-17 camp? It's your last one right?"

Fuji hesitated for a second, recalling the subject at hand. "Ah, I suppose so. It should be a great camp," he said simply.

Rei smiled sadly. "I'm sorry that you couldn't attend the wedding with _Kinta_ since the wedding lasts into the camp week."

Fuji now looked genuinely confused, eyes open and ready to interpret any body language. "What wedding?"

Rei and Kirin exchanged glances. "I thought Kinta asked you," Rei began, looking as confused as Fuji feels.

"There's a wedding in California that lasts for two weeks in March, with the last week during the U-17 camp. Kinta told us that you couldn't go since you already turned in your application for the camp. We would go ourselves, but with the babies…" Kirin explained, trailing off.

Fuji was slowly piecing it together. "Why ask me to attend as well?"

"Well, Ki-Kinta needs a _friend_ to go with him since the flight, hotel, and everything has already been booked. It seems that since you wouldn't be able to attend that another has already been chosen," Kirin stumbled _again_. He's trying to drop subtle hints, but failing and making himself look dumb.

"I see," Fuji said slowly. So, obviously I wasn't going to the camp and since I knew how much it meant to him I didn't even ask if he wanted to go instead. However, he hasn't even turned in the application yet and was going to tomorrow. This changes everything.

A flash of anger shot through Fuji's eyes. "Who's going to attend with him?"

"Someone by the name of Atobe I believe," Rei said while taking Masami from Kirin's tired arms.

Fuji's eyes narrowed. "Atobe _Keigo?_" He asked, voice eerily calm while eyes flashing with annoyance, suspicion, and a hint of jealousy.

"That's the one," Kirin confirmed. "Is something wrong Fuji?" He asked concerned.

"I don't think that Kinta wants anything to do with him," he stated bluntly. "I'm not sure why Kinta told you he asked me and told you I couldn't go," that's completely a lie. "I haven't committed to the camp yet and I would really like to attend the wedding… if the offer still stands of course," he added politely.

Kirin smiled while Rei looked a little confused and worried. "Of course Fuji-kun! I still have the ticket and packet with all of the details. You're welcome to go as long as everything clears with your family," Kirin grinned, standing up to retrieve the packet.

"I'm sure it'll be just fine Kirin-san," Fuji calmly said. "However, would you mind not telling Kinta? I'd like it to be a surprise."

"Of course dear! I'm sure he'll enjoy it," Rei said sweetly, just thinking of the possibilities of Fuji finding out my secret, realizing his feelings, and falling madly in love with me.

"Here you go," Kirin hands the packet over to Fuji. "Just make sure to get there early."

"Hai, I will," Fuji got up to head to the door. "Thank you for your hospitality." He bowed and quickly left

"I can't believe he took the bait!" Rei said excitedly after Fuji left.

"I can't believe Kita never even asked him! By the way, is this Atobe person really that bad to make Fuji-kun look that way?" Kirin asked curiously.

Rei shrugged. "Doesn't really matter does it? That small bit of information that we slipped to Nataki-san actually made it to its destination! Hopefully none of them will realize that it was just a set-up to get Shusuke and Kita together," Rei grinned and squealed.

Kirin laughed unsurely. "I suppose you're right; it'll be good for them."

After leaving the Sato's residence, Fuji called Saeki to cancel his trip to Chiba. He had something unexpected come up and couldn't make it. Saeki could tell it was important and said he'd see him next weekend.

Fuji found himself walking towards the one place he'd hate to be right now: the Atobe's residence.

"Aa, my name is Fuji Shusuke and I'm here to speak with Atobe Keigo," Fuji said politely with a hint of malice dancing in his striking blue eyes.

The butler hesitates for a couple long moments before stuttering a welcome and allowing him inside. Yes, Fuji Shusuke is not in a good mood. The butler thought it best to get the young master before the tensai's temper rose any further.

"He'll see you in the upstairs lounge sir," he quickly replied before hurrying off to some place far away.

After he made his way up to the room and found Atobe waiting, he sat down in a chair across from him.

"What do you want from her?" he bluntly demands, his eyes flashing at Atobe's pompous demeanor.

He smirked, obviously enjoying the fact that he's getting tensai Fuji all riled up. "What makes you think that I want anything from her or to do with her at all?" He questioned back.

Fuji's gaze narrowed. "You've been stalking her, pestering her, and now I hear you want to be her date for part of this upcoming vacation. My first question is why. Why her? She's not rich, her family isn't famous or renowned, she's not the prettiest, or the best at tennis. Why."

Atobe leaned back further into his chair with one hand laid daintily on his cheek. "My my, you've really fallen for this one," he stated before seeing the glare intensifying. "Well, if you must know, there's more to her than you think. At first it was a game, since I wanted, and still do, to tear down everything she's been working for. Her tennis play, her determination, and everything she's been working for under that guise."

He paused, looking over at Fuji for a long moment before continuing. "Then I learned about her and realized there was more to the story. She may not be the best or the most beautiful, but she is who she is. Since I obviously know more about her than you do, it'll make it all the more enjoyable when I take her from you and destroy that fantasy world she's created."

Fuji stood up abruptly. "She'll never fall for you. I know her, I know my friends, and I know that you _will_ stay away from her. I believe I've made myself perfectly clear."

He started walking back towards the door to the lounge and before he exited he turned to look over his shoulder and said, "You better cancel your plans for the wedding. You have a tennis camp to go to." With that, he walked out of the door and left a steaming, contemplative Atobe behind him.

"Well played Fuji, but don't think that this is over just yet," he says before returning to his afternoon tea.

"Yumiko-chan, do you really think he'll like it?" I ask, staring at the item in my hands.

"Of course he will! Did you see his art gallery?"

"I still can't believe that there's even more than what was in there!" I giggle before returning to the topic at hand. "Still, I'm hardly an amateur and he's so…"

"Perfect?"

"No, well yes, but no… It's just that it's _Shusuke_ and I don't want him to be offended or mess this up in any way," I explain looking again at the item Yumiko had just finished helping me with.

"There's no way you could, trust me," she says confidently.

I'm not convinced, but trust her anyway. "Alright. Well, I better get going before he gets back. Thanks for your help," I tell her sincerely before leaving.

"You're welcome to come by anytime Kita-chan," she says as I leave.

Nodding back to her, I make the short journey to my house to wrap up Fuji's gifts. After all, his birthday is in a couple days and I need to be prepared. Who knows just what that tensai will do before then.

(2 days later, February 28th)

"Happy Birthday Fuji!" Everyone yells out on the tennis court.

Fuji chuckles at the "surprise". "Thanks everyone, but-"

"We all remember Fuji-senpai," Momo says clapping him on the shoulder.

"Fujiko is special to be born on a day that only comes once every four years!" Eiji exclaims, hanging all over Fuji and Oishi.

"We always celebrate birthdays, even when we're away on vacation or when they come once every four years," Oishi teases.

"Fushuu…." Kaidou agrees, remembering his birthday cake in the face, courtesy of Momo.

"There's only a 15% chance that we'd ever miss celebrating someone's birthday," Inui calculates.

"Oi, back to practice!" Buchou orders while smiling.

"Hoi hoi!" Eiji yells, dragging Oishi off to some random direction.

"Would you like to play a game?" Fuji asks me.

I look at him for a second before remembering something that I was supposed to do on Monday. "Would you mind waiting for a couple minutes?"

He mockingly pouts. "Mmm I suppose so, but you know it's rude to keep the birthday boy waiting," he teases.

I inwardly huff. He's pulling the "it's-my-birthday-so-I-get-what-I-want" stunt. Doesn't help that he's tall, gorgeous, and-

"Sato, quit checking out Fuji," Monomi-buchou teases. Really, is it gang up on Kita day?

"Well buchou, since _someone_," I look pointedly at him. "Insinuated that I'm gay for Fuji I might as well act like it right?" Oh, I wouldn't mind acting like it at all, since I'm actually a girl pretending to be a boy and have feelings for said boy I'm "infatuated" with.

Fuji is shaking trying to hold back the snickers, but a large grin is on his face. He puts an arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close. "Saa… I wonder how Buchou found out about our secret," Fuji says aloud.

I blink rapidly. "What? Huh? I-I but Buchou- and the article and and…"I stutter, not really handling the fact that Fuji's messing with me _and_ making my wish come true at the same time.

Buchou smirks. "Oh, I didn't know it was a secret. I was just trying to drop hints to the ladies to leave you alone Sato-san. My mistake," he teases, grinning at my flustered face.

"By the way, I've named you both Captain and Vice Captain," Monomi-buchou says before walking away.

"Matte! Who's who?" I call, trying to pull myself together.

He smirks. "You figure it out."

At a loss, I decide to just not think about it for the moment and play some tennis. "Fuji, would you meet me at my house later tonight? It won't take too long I promise," I ask quickly.

He smiles. "Of course. I don't have any other plans for tonight. Yuuta is coming back on the weekend, so we're celebrating then," he explains since he saw my nervousness.

I smile gratefully. "Good, but I'm not going easy on you, birthday boy!"

He smirks, both of us knowing that if we both went all out he'd be too far ahead for me to catch up. He really has evolved… more than I ever could. Which is why…

"I want you to be captain," I tell him.

His eyes shift towards me and open slightly. "Why? You know everyone better than me and-"

"That's crap and we both know it. You know everyone better than I do. You're stronger, faster, and more strategic than I am. Also-"

"I get it I get it," he says putting his hands up in defense. "I'll be captain and you'll be vice captain."

I open my mouth to refuse and say that- "And no, I don't want Oishi, I want you."

I grow quiet at his words. "I'm not anything special."

"You're part of the team and everyone wants you here. Besides, Oishi will be happy to give you that title," he smirks. "You're the only one with a remote possibility of keeping me in line." He jokes.

I glare at him. "Well then _Buchou_ let's see how well you're doing with the Doors."

A few hours after afternoon tennis practice and Monomi-buchou announcing the new Buchou and Fukubuchou for next year, Fuji had made his way to my house.

"Thanks for coming over Shusuke," I tell him gratefully.

He just keeps his smile in place. "Ah, thanks for having me even though it's technically not my birthday," he teases.

Sitting at the couch I take in his appearance. It's a change from normal school clothes and tennis clothes; just a pair of dark jeans and a purple tee shirt under a heavy black jacket. Simple yet stylish clothing that accent his muscles and lean body. Which makes me wonder why he usually looks so-

"Thin," I mumble, not realizing I had said it out loud.

"I'm sorry, did you say thin? What's thin?" Fuji asks, confused as to why I had just mumbled something that made no sense to the conversation about his birthday.

"Ah… well…" I blush lightly, now realizing my mistake. "I was just wondering why you look so thin, but have all these muscles. I mean it's not that you're overly thin or anything, but just that I normally don't see you wear anything that shows your build and that it's unusual. Not that that's bad of course. And-"

"Saa… so you were checking me out," he states grinning.

I glare back at him. Yes I had been, I suppose, but he didn't need to say it like that! Getting up, I walk to the kitchen to get the cupcakes that Rei had baked for him. Right now they're out with the twins to hang out with some friends.

"Here," I say handing him one without looking.

He looks surprised, but I don't see it. "Arigato. You didn't need to make these for me. Your company is just enough," he says politely.

My glare lessens with another light blush. Damn why am I so nervous to be alone around him now? He's my best friend and doesn't even like me that way. He's been pretty clear I think.

"I didn't make them, Rei did," I mumble, catching him off guard. "I would've, but I'm not a very good cook; more of a re-heat type of person."

He smiles anyway. "Still they're great." Biting into he can tell that it really is Rei's cooking, which is better than Yumiko's and his mother's combined.

"Yeah," I agree quietly, biting into mine as well. "So, this is from Kirin, Rei, and the twins. They wish you happy birthday." Handing him an envelope I could see that he's surprised. Obviously he didn't expect anything from anyone and this has been a lot already to him.

"A gift card to the tennis shop downtown," he says quietly before chuckling. "He must've remembered that I needed more grip tape and my strings tightened." My family really is amazing.

"Yeah and here," I say trying not to blush as I hand him two packages wrapped and a bag. "Open the bag last."

He glances at me with some sort of emotion I couldn't quite see. It's most likely between happiness, sorrow, and excitement. "A book on photography modeling schemes and…" he opens the next one, "one on painting techniques." He grows quiet before looking up at me from the books. "How did you know that I paint and draw?"

Instead of answering I gesture towards the bag to open it. I grow even more nervous as he retrieves it.

"Now, I'm just an amateur and I know that you could do so much better, but I wanted to give you something great. I didn't know what and Yumiko showed me your art room and I saw that you had no portraits of yourself. So… she helped me with what to draw and I used your supplies," I take a quick breath. "Please don't be mad or offended. I know it's not a perfect representation of you, but…" I trail off and grow quiet, seeing him lightly touch the sketch.

"You drew this…" It's a statement and he sounds interested.

"Yeah," I breathe.

"It's fantastic," he says and I sigh.

"It's not proportioned properly, I didn't using shading correctly, your eyes are off-center, and-"

"And it's me," he interrupts me. "It's not professional, but it's done by my best friend and with care. Therefore, it's perfect. It's perfect because _I'm_ not perfect, no matter how hard I try to be," he amends.

"Thank you, for all of this."

I smile sadly at him, for the first time understanding his sorrow. "Why wouldn't I? You're one of the most important people to me."

He looks at me. "I-"

"No," I tell him. "It's alright. They care about you, I'm sure, but it's not about them it's about you. Just… be happy." That's all I've ever wanted for you.

He smiles genuinely. "Arigato Kita."

**A/N: Sorry for taking a long while, but I made it more than twice as long to make up for it. Hope you enjoyed!**


	27. A different kind of vacation

The day is bright and relatively warm for March. Everyone is all excited for me to be on my way to America.

Everyone except for me that is.

Fuji texted me last night to tell me he wouldn't be able to see me off. When I inquired about it he said he was on a train at the moment to visit Saeki and his family in Chiba for the week before attending the camp. I was pretty hurt since he didn't even tell me he was going until he already left. There's nothing I can do about it, but it still hurts.

Sighing, I look out the window of Rei's black sedan and what the clouds. They remind me of White Day only the week before. Of course, I was offered chocolates on Valentine's Day, but I never accepted any. It does remind though of the conversation I heard from a couple of girls in my class that day.

_Sniffles and hiccups from a few feet away reach my ears. I lazily tilt my head in that direction in mild curiosity and annoyance. For today being White Day there sure are a lot of girls crying. _

"_Mou, what happened Suzu-chan?" A girl asks, rubbing soothing circles in the crying girl's back._

"_H-he… He said… He said he di-didn't… Love me!" She hiccups, tears pouring out of her eyes._

"_Who did? Fuji-kun?" The girl asks. My interest picks up at Fuji's name. It's no surprise that girls are always confessing to him, but bawling their eyes out afterwards is._

"_H-hai!" More tears pour out. "Am I just not interesting enough Cana-chan?"_

_Cana looks confused. "What do you mean? What did he actually say to you?" She asks Suzu._

_Suzu calms down enough to where there are still a couple of hiccups and stray tears, but she's easier to understand. "H-he said that… That I wasn't interesting enough to be worth his time. He was just pushing me around and I fell for the wrong guy!" Hot tears start streaming her face again. "Cana-chan what's wrong with me?"_

_Cana face shows a mixture of anger and sadness. "Nothing wrong with you Suzu-chan! Fuji's only into girls for the thrill. I warned you that he's heartless when it comes to love," she whispers the last part while holding the other girl close._

"_I- I'm sorry Cana-chan, but I thought that maybe… since we were in the same class since middle school that… how could I be so stupid!" She yells angrily to herself._

"_Not stupid, just in love with the wrong guy. Maybe," she says with a small smile on her face. "He'll really turn out to be gay and in love with Sato-san."_

_Suzu giggles lightly. "Yeah, he's just constipated because except for the tennis team his best friend is a stoic ice block."_

_Cana's face sports a light blush now. "Kind of like Tezuka-kun, remember?"_

_They both giggle lightly and Suzu stated that she felt better._

"_I'll see you later Suzu," Cana says as she leaves the classroom now filling in with people, particularly from the tennis team._

"_Kinta, what's wrong?"_

_Speak of the devil and he shall appear._

_I smile forcefully. "Nothing Shusuke, just people watching."_

_I'll remember this if the day ever comes that Fuji Shusuke tells me he loves me. He doesn't love, because love entitles you to care. Evidently Fuji doesn't want to care enough for someone to love them. Especially if that someone has known him since middle school._

"Kita-chan we're here," Kirin says. His tone indicates that he's been trying to get my attention for awhile now.

I smile softly. "Sorry aniki, I was just thinking."

"About the trip? Don't worry about it. The fight won't be too long, you have a window seat, your own credit card, and you look great!" He points out excitedly.

Running my fingers through my hair for what feels like the hundredth time today, I can't help but feel lighter. My purple shaggy locks are now cut cleanly and half an inch shorter with my bangs two inches shorter than that. All in all, it looks girly.

"Kita-chan, it's not bad," Rei soothes, patting down some fly-away hairs. "It's not long like you had it before it was cut the first time, but it's still cute."

I huff knowing that my hair was the least of my worries. "Yeah and I wish it was longer still, but there's no use in fretting over it. So, who's my date?"

Kirin and Rei exchange glances. "I thought Atobe was coming," Kirin asks with a frown.

My gaze narrows and I look at the ground. "Right, sorry, I forgot."

After all, Atobe _did_ pronounce himself my date over a month ago. I never did try to find someone else. It was just too hard asking one of them to give up the camp. The camp I so badly want to go to that I'll miss next week.

"Well, I guess I'll be off," I tell them after checking in my luggage and standing off to the side.

"Call us every once in awhile," Rei asks while hugging me.

"Make sure to be polite," Kirin adds hugging me as well.

"No 'Hns'."

"No glares."

"No slouching."

"No-"

"I get it already!" I huff, before smiling. "I'll miss you all. Even you two squirts," I tell the infants in the stroller.

"Let you know when I'm safely in California," I smile, waving once as I make my way through the security checks and to my gate, leaving my family behind.

After boarding the plane and finding my window seat, I relax and listen to the bustle of people as I look out the window towards the runway. I feel a brush against my jeans.

"Sorry," a voice says as I turn to look at him. "I hope this seat isn't taken."

"Shusuke! What are you doing here?" I exclaim, bewildered.

His smile widens at my reaction. "What were you doing not inviting me to the wonderful vacation and wedding as your date?" He counters. "Did you really think that I would let you go with Atobe?"

Suddenly, I'm less excited for him being here. Of course he'd make this a competition for my attention with Atobe. Even though Fuji doesn't have any feelings for me, or anyone for that matter, he can't let Atobe get anywhere near me. Still, I'm happy to have his company and not Atobe's.

"So where is dear _Keigo?_" I ask him.

He smiles. "Taking my place at the U-17 camp."

I look at him, trying to figure out why he wasn't going as well. "I thought you'd want to go, since everyone else is and it's your last year."

He turns his head away to look at the aisle before speaking. "There are more important things than a camp with great tennis players."

For a moment, I forgot everything that's happened and what I've thought. For a moment, I assumed that he was talking about me. That being with me is more important than _tennis_.

Then, I remembered. This is tensai Fuji Shusuke who wants nothing but the best. This is Fuji, who will do anything for himself, including playing with girls and spiting Atobe. I remembered that this is my best friend… and nothing more.

"I'm glad you're expanding your horizons," I tease.

After those two long moments everything went back to normal. We talked like we are the best of friends, gossiped about the freshmen, and strategized about tennis. Because even after two moments were long gone, the ache in my heart is still present. I have to let myself get over him, because Fuji Shusuke will only ever break my heart.

"It's seems that we've arrived," he says as our ears pop from the descent.

"Yeah, it seems like we just spent nearly thirteen hours talking, only pausing to eat and use the bathroom," I reply grinning.

He chuckles. "Or in your case, talking while eating."

I glare at him playfully. "I was choking! You can't call those noises talking."

"I see, my bad. So, how good is your English?" He asks me a we walk through the airport to collect our luggage.

"Hmm… I don't think it's too bad. I'm better at reading and talking than comprehending," I tell him honestly.

"Saa… I'm decent in all areas, but I think you should do most of the talking if necessary," he decides and I give him a look.

"What? Scared you'll say something rude or perverted," I tease him.

He glares at me. "That was one time! Besides, I think Eiji sabotaged me."

I giggle. "Well, whatever happened I'll do most of the talking. After all, it is technically my family."

Fuji was about to ask what I meant by technically, but didn't get a chance to.

"Here's our luggage!" I say, interrupting his thought and making him forget it altogether. "Now, Rei's sister should be the one to meet us at the entrance and take us to the hotel."

"Why are we staying there instead of Rei's niece's house?" Fuji asks.

I blink, recalling the reason that Rei told me when I asked. "Because she lives in a one bedroom apartment. We wouldn't be able to stay at Rei's sister's because they already have other family in all of the spare rooms," I explain. "Frankly I don't really care since that means more peace for us."

"Saa…"

I didn't even get a chance to look around for Rei's sister as someone decided to grab my attention by screaming my name.

"Kita! Kita over here!" A brunette screams while waving her arms frantically.

Fuji and I sweat drop and laugh at her actions. "Guess she's pretty lively," I comment.

"Should be interesting," he agrees.

"Oh Kita it's so good to finally meet you!" She gushes as she hugs me. I don't know how to react so I awkwardly put my arms around her. "So who's this that you've brought with you? Your boyfriend?" She asks, smiling brightly at us both.

I blink, overwhelmed by the language barrier. Rei's sister, as I'm referring to her since I've forgotten her name, is speaking rapidly in English. That and the sudden embrace threw me for a loop.

"She's asking me," Fuji clarifies in my semi-state of awareness.

"Aa… This is Shusuke Fuji, my best friend and tennis doubles partner. He's my date for the trip," I tell her in English. The one thing that I remembered from Rei is that no one knows Japanese.

Her smile widens. "Oh… well I'm sure you two would make a great couple!"

I blink again. "She's saying that we should date," Fuji whispers in my ear.

Realizing this I open my mouth to retort, but the forty-something-year old is already on the move with our luggage.

"Now, I know you've had a long trip, but would you like to stop by the house to say hi to some family before I take you to your hotel?" She asks.

I smile, happy that she has stopped talking so fast. "Sure we don't mind."

"Great! So, how much Rei has told you about her family?" She asks, making conversation as she begins to pull out of the parking lot.

"Actually, I don't know much at all," I confess, interested in Rei's family. True, I'm not legitimately Rei's daughter as the adoption certificate says, but she's close enough to me as a sister.

"Oh? Well, Rei's mother divorced your father, who was Japanese, and married my father when I was ten. My father had custody of me and my brother James, who was six, making us her half-siblings. She went to Japan when she was twenty, married Kirin and everything you know from there," She simplifies.

"Ah… umm… forgive me, but what's your name again?" I ask her embarrassed.

"Oh my! I totally forgot to introduce myself. My apologies. My name is Kathryn Gerard and my husband is Daniel. Our daughter, Amelia, is twenty-two and the one getting married. We also have a son, Simon, who's eighteen. He'll be there along with Stephanie, my brother's only child who's fifteen, my brother, his wife Denise, and our mother Cindy," she sums up. "I would've had you stay with us, but Amelia sold her apartment and with my brother's family our house isn't big enough. I hope you understand."

"Of course," I say at once. "We wouldn't want to inconvenience you and your family."

"Your family too," she says with a smile.

After another twenty minutes of chatting, we pull up to the house. Climbing out of the van we see that it's an average-sized two-story house. Walking up we can hear some loud laughter emanating from just beyond the front door.

"Excuse me while I settle them down," Kathryn says as she stomps her way into the house, leaving us by the front door.

"Now listen here!" She yells and we can overhear from right outside. "We have guests outside all the way from Japan. I expect you to be kind, _clean_," she stresses, "and- oh for God's sake don't do anything stupid!" A series of low agreements could be heard before the door swung open, revealing Kathryn.

"Sorry about that," she says grinning while her hair and clothes are slightly more disheveled than before. "Please, come in and make yourselves at home."

"Ah," I say completely forgetting that I should speak in English. "Shitsurei shimasu," I say before entering the house. Fuji gives me a nudge and I look at him questioningly.

"Remember to speak in English," he tells me in Japanese.

"Oh, right sorry," I tell him before turning back towards the rest of the house. "Please forgive me for the slip. I was saying 'Please forgive me for the intrusion'."

Kathryn giggles into her hand. "Oh you don't need to say that! Please, just make yourselves at home. No need to be so formal," she teases and I blush.

"Thank you for your kindness," Fuji tells her and she seems to melt.

"Oh dear, it's no problem at all! You're both like family to us," she says, insisting that we come in and have something to eat while meeting the family.

While pointing them all out to us, she introduces us to everyone. "Over there on the left is my husband and next to him is my brother. On the couch is Amelia with Cody, her fiancée, and next to him is Simon. Stephanie, the blond, is in the love seat next to Denise and in the sofa is our mother Cindy. Everyone, this is Kita and Shusuke."

We both smile at everyone. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Kita Sato," I greet them.

"Mmm… Shusuke Fuji. I'm accompanying Kita," he greets everyone as well.

All of the sudden a lot of talking ensues. Questions, yelling, and hugs are coming at us at once. As soon as we sit down in some chairs, food is shoved under our noses and the noise never stops. For the next hour we talked and laughed with everyone, just getting to know each other. When I yawned, Kathryn remembered how long our flight was and ushered us right out the door, so we could get some rest in our hotel room.

"Now, I've already checked you in and there's an objective itinerary on your desk. Things for the wedding and things you may want to do in your spare time. Feel free to look at it when you've rested," she tells us. "It also has my cell phone number I there, so call me when you need a lift. Talk to you both tomorrow!" With that she hurries off.

"Well, shall we go inside?" Fuji asks me politely.

"Yeah, I'm dead tired," I tell him with another yawn escaping.

He chuckles and unlocks the door. At first we both gape at the room in awe, but when we walk further inside it's for another reason.

"You're kidding," Fuji mumbles, eyes wide.

I however am now steaming in anger, sleepiness be damned. There's only one bed in the room with one person to blame. "Kirin!" I yell. "When I get back you are _so_ going to pay for this," I seethe.

"Are you sure the room can't be changed?" Fuji asks me, nervousness in his eyes, but I don't see it. All I see is hate for one person.

"No," I bite. "Kirin told me expressly that nothing involving the flight and hotel could be changed." I knew there had to be a catch to this. Well, another one at least with Fuji being my date as the first.

"Ah… well, it's not so bad. Or are you afraid to sleep with me?" He teases.

I should be blushing. I should be embarrassed, but I'm not. In fact, I'd like nothing more than to be with him. However, this isn't how I imagined myself sleeping with him. I imagined it with my own bed. This can't be helped though.

"No," I glare at him. "But I suggest that you stay on your side of the bed," I growl at him, shuffling past him.

"Alright, but if you decide to snuggle up with me…" he trails off, trying to catch me in his pit of teasing. I'm not falling for it.

"Just take your shower after I'm done," I tell him before I walk into the bathroom after grabbing some clothes.

I let Rei pick out my clothes since I didn't have time and I couldn't by them myself. She knows what I like, so I trust her. Well, I will unless this trip changes that. After slipping into silk pajama bottoms and a black tank top, I throw my clothes onto the floor and climb under the covers.

"Want me to turn off the lights?" Fuji asks. I can't tell if he's teasing me or not, but I don't think he is.

"Hai, thanks," I tell him softly, voice laced with sleep.

"Aa…" he responds, watching my form breathe softly and slowly under the blankets turned away from him. He smiles, thinking that maybe he should give Kirin a gift when he gets back.

Double checking to make sure that I really am asleep, he picks up the packet that Kathryn had left us. Inside are some photos with names of people on them, contact numbers, and a temporary itinerary.

_Monday, March 21: Arrive in Los Angeles._

_ Tuesday 22: Meet family and wedding party._

_ Wednesday 23: Dress/suit shopping with family or sightseeing._

_ Thursday 24: Dress rehearsal and family dinner._

_ Friday 25: The wedding and reception._

_ Saturday 26: Free day_

_ Sunday 27: Morning brunch._

_ Monday 28: Family game night_

_ Tuesday 29: Shop in the Avenues_

_ Wednesday 30: Free Day_

_ Thursday 31: Beach Day_

_ Friday April 1: Disney_

_ Saturday April 2: Free Day_

_ Sunday 3: See family one last time_

_ Monday 4: Leave for Japan_

Fuji smiles at the thought of my family going through so much to make sure we're not bored and feel comfortable. Thinking back to Kirin's packet, Fuji wonders if he prepared him enough for this. All he gave him were the tickets, hotel information, and told him to make sure he packed his camera.

After one last look at my sleeping form, he walks into the bathroom to take a long hot shower before sleeping away the eighteen-hour exhaustion he collected from being active for this long.

**A/N: my computer may be sent away to get fixed So, I'll try to write on another computer, but if I don't update for more than 2 weeks, you'll know why. Thanks**


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